Aamir Khan reflects on Laal Singh Chaddha's failure, shares where he went wrong: 'I became a little overconfident'

Aamir Khan said he neglected his usual financial assessments for Laal Singh Chaddha, leading to high production costs and disappointing box office returns.

After nearly two decades of an unbroken streak of blockbuster hits, Aamir Khan faced back-to-back setbacks with Thugs of Hindostan (2018) and Laal Singh Chaddha (2022). Now, in a candid conversation with Komal Nahta on his YouTube show Game Changers, the actor has opened up about what went wrong and how his own overconfidence played a major role.

Aamir Khan attributed some of Laal Singh Chaddha's financial issues to the Covid-19 pandemic, which increased costs due to continued team payments during lockdowns. (Sunil Khandare/ANI)

Aamir opens up about what went wrong with Laal Singh Chaddha

“I became a little overconfident with Laal Singh Chaddha because I had delivered too many back-to-back hits. That is where I went wrong,” Aamir admitted.

From 2001’s Lagaan to 2017’s Secret Superstar, Aamir's filmography was nearly untouchable, including hits like 3 Idiots, PK, Dangal, and Ghajini. But when Thugs of Hindostan crashed at the box office, it marked the end of a golden run. Laal Singh Chaddha, a remake of Forrest Gump, only deepened the wound.

Aamir revealed that he usually evaluates every production through an “economic filter”, ensuring that even if the film doesn’t break records, it shouldn’t cause financial loss. But with Laal Singh Chaddha, that filter was ignored.

“Instead of focusing on how much it can earn, I focus on the fact that the film should not result in any losses. Unfortunately, I didn’t put Laal Singh Chaddha through that filter. When you know your film will earn you ₹120 crore, you can keep your budget up to ₹80 crore, maximum. Ideally, it should have been between ₹50–60 crore. However, we ended up spending ₹200 crore,” he confessed.

Aamir also pointed to the Covid-19 pandemic as a major contributor to spiralling costs. He continued paying his team during lockdowns, a decision he stands by, but one that drove up expenses. He shared another example of avoidable expenses: a lavish sequence in which his character plays table tennis in China, which never made it to the final cut.

The film ultimately grossed just ₹133.5 crore worldwide, opening in India at a modest ₹11 crore, a far cry from Dangal's ₹385 crore domestic and ₹2,000 crore global haul.

Aamir Khan's latest projects

Aamir Khan’s latest film Sitaare Zameen Par, released on June 20, has emerged as a solid success, grossing approximately ₹266 crore worldwide over its full theatrical run, against a production cost of around ₹122 crore.

Aamir was also seen doing a cameo in Coolie, the Rajinikanth‑starrer directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj. Beyond that, he has announced a superhero film with Lokesh, expected to go into production in the second half of 2026.

Aamir will also appear in a cameo in Aryan Khan's directorial debut, The Ba***ds of Bollywood, which is set to release on Netflix on September 18.