Veteran actor and filmmaker Anupam Kher recently shared the emotional and professional challenges he faced following the underperformance of his film Tanvi The Great, which released in July 2025. The film, which Kher both directed and starred in, coincided with the release of Mohit Suri's Saiyaara, a romantic drama that became a massive box office success.
In an interview with Screen, Kher revealed the extent of his disappointment. He said, "I worked for four years on this film - one year of writing, one year of music. I wrote and directed the film. We released the film on the same day as Yash Raj Films' Saiyaara, and it got completely wiped out. It depressed me. It made me feel very sad, not just for myself, but for the new actor whom I took from my acting school, and for the almost 200 people who worked on the film."
Kher also disclosed that the film's financer withdrew support a month before its release, leaving him to seek funds from friends to cover the costs. The film's release was overshadowed by Saiyaara, which resonated with audiences and emerged as one of the biggest romantic dramas in Bollywood.
Further opening up about the challenges, he said, "The financer of the film ran away a month before its release. It's a costly film, so I called my friends who are doctors, lawyers, etc. They gave me the money. Everything was going fine, but the world wanted to see a love story and rightfully so. A young, teenage love story had not come for a long time, and the system here is that even if you release the film in 400 theatres, if another film is doing very well, they will remove your film. So it was a failure which was very heartbreaking for me."
Tanvi The Great managed to collect only Rs 2.54 crore worldwide at the box office, while Saiyaara concluded its theatrical run with a final worldwide haul of Rs 570 crore.
The film, Tanvi The Great, tells the story of a young autistic woman, Tanvi Raina (played by Shubhangi Dutt), who is determined to fulfill her late father's dream of hoisting the Indian flag at Siachen.
In contrast, Saiyaara follows rising musician Krish Kapoor (Ahaan Panday) and shy writer-songstress Vaani Batra (Aneet Padda), exploring themes of love and personal growth.
