Tiger Shroff’s Baaghi 3 may not have run to its fullest potential because of the sudden lockdown but the box-office performance of his movie is the last thing on his mind at the moment.
Tiger, hailed as India’s youngest action superstar, says that he was overwhelmed by the love of the audiences showered on Baaghi 3 but the safety of people was uppermost on his mind. “I feel blessed and grateful that the film was accepted and loved by the masses and audiences,” Shroff says. “Considering we were and still are going through a world crisis, our audiences came out in large numbers until the theatres shut down. That really overwhelmed me but honestly, the safety of our citizens has been my primary thought.”
Shroff, who had delivered a mega hit, War, along with Hrithik Roshan last year, says that he could not think or process anything of the film’s box office because the virus was spreading all over. “The box office had already taken a back seat in my head, as it was important that people stayed indoors and were safe,” he adds.
Nonetheless, Tiger says, “I was half-disappointed because our hard work couldn’t reach its potential. However, I am satisfied because the bigger picture is the safety of our people and the government has made amazing decisions to follow that through. Let’s see, once the situation settles, perhaps we may re-release the movie.”
Released on March 7, Baaghi 3 had been receiving a tremendous response at the box office when theatres had to be closed down as a preventive measure to contain the spread of COVID-19. Even on the last day, it minted a good collection of Rs 6.5 crore. Though it had earned Rs 102 crore in the domestic circuit by then, trade pundits believed it could have done far better business had COVID-19 not struck. Incidentally, it was also the highest day one earner of the year so far.
Ever since making his debut in Heropanti (2014), Tiger has had a slew of successful franchises to his credit which makes him highly bankable at the turnstiles. But he says he is under no pressure because of the audience's growing expectations from him. “When people look up to you for the work you do, it is important to be mindful of your actions. If your conscience is in the right place then you need not have to constantly worry about being right. At the same time, these expectations from my fans are a motivation to keep working harder”.
As the entire country is still under the lockdown, at least until April 14, Tiger says he is utilitilising his time by doing home workouts, spending time with his loved ones. “I am also trying to use social media to help spread whatever awareness and genuine information that I can,” he informs.
Over the past six years, he has created a niche for himself as a bankable action star with a huge commercial draw. He will start shooting for his next film Heropanti 2, to bereleased on July 16 next year, once the lockdown is lifted.
