Laal Singh Chaddha

In August 2018, Aamir Khan announced that he had purchased the remake rights of the 1994 American drama Forrest Gump, from Paramount Pictures,[23] which produced the film, and also suggested he will play the lead role in this film.[24][25] On 14 March 2019, coinciding with his 54th birthday,[26] Khan officially announced the project which has been named Laal Singh Chaddha,[27][28] with his ex-wife Kiran Rao co-producing the film. Advait Chandan, who previously directed Khan's Secret Superstar (2017), was signed in to direct the remake.[29][30]

Kulkarni, who also worked with Khan in Rang De Basanti (2006), wrote the Hindi adaptation for the original. In an interview with Bollywood Hungama, Kulkarni said, "I wrote the script ten years ago, but Aamir took a couple of years because he did not believe that I must have written a good script. So he did not want to hurt me. After a few years, he heard the script and within 30 seconds he said I am going to do the film."[7] Kulkarni also said that it took over seven years to get the remake rights from the makers of the original (Paramount), as the movie is solely based on the original. Once the studio confirmed with Radhika Chaudhari that the rights were available, Khan made a trip to Los Angeles in February 2018 and met with the studio heads along with Radhika Chaudhari and the process of acquisition started.

Mukesh Chhabra was assigned as the casting director of the film. Aamir Khan playing the title character, Kareena Kapoor was confirmed to play the female lead role in June 2019,[16] thus pairing up with Khan for the third time after 3 Idiots (2009) and Talaash: The Answer Lies Within (2012).[31] Manushi Chhillar was first choice for leading lady but, already signed a contract with Yash Raj Films.[32][33] In August 2019, Vijay Sethupathi was signed alongside Khan, however he later opted out due to other commitments.[34][35] In September 2019, Yogi Babu was approached to play a pivotal role.[36][37] In November 2019, Mona Singh who also starred in Khan's 3 Idiots, was also cast in the pivotal role.[38] Aamir Khan lost 20 kilograms for the younger version of his role in the film.[39][40] In May 2021, Naga Chaitanya was confirmed to be a part of the cast, making his Bollywood debut.[18]

While the film's principal photography was expected to commence in October 2019, Khan and his team went on scouting location in April 2019, across Dharmasala for five days.[41]

Laal Singh Chaddha is reportedly filmed in more than 100 Indian locations.[42][43][44] The principal photography of the film was commenced on 31 October 2019, with a muhurat shot given by Khan's mother Zeenat Hussain.[45] The first schedule took place at Chandigarh, on 1 November and was completed within 21 days. Stills featuring Khan and Kapoor from the sets were leaked onto the internet,[46] with Khan's look featuring him with a thick beard and turban went viral.[47][48] A romantic track featuring Aamir Khan and Kareena Kapoor was shot at Chandigarh on 28 November 2019.[49]

The second schedule was kickstarted in Kolkata on 5 December 2019.[50][51] Aamir Khan and his team flew to Kerala in the second week of December, where Khan's photos of shooting from Thekkumbhagam, Changanassery and Kappil went viral.[52] Khan completed the second schedule on 19 December 2019, and kickstarted the third schedule on 21 December 2019, with shooting took place in Jaisalmer, Goa and Himachal Pradesh. The third schedule was completed on 12 February 2020,[53] and Khan headed to Chandigarh for their next schedule. The team wrapped up the last leg of shoot on 6 March 2020.[54] The cast and crew flew back to shoot in Punjab on 16 March 2020, before production of the film got halted owing to the COVID-19 pandemic in India.[55]

Aamir Khan cancelled the Ladakh schedule on 6 July,[56] owing to the India-China standoff along the Galwan Valley.[57] Later due to difficulties in shooting the film across India, Aamir decided to resume the film's shoot in Turkey, for the recce of new shoot.[58][59] On 7 September 2020, Aamir Khan resumed the shooting of the film in Mumbai, with safety measures and guidelines instructed by the government.[60][61] On 27 September 2020, Aamir and his team flew to Delhi to shoot some portions, with pictures featuring his younger version went viral.[62][63] Some scenes were shot at the Hotel Centaur in Delhi on 7 October 2020.[64] Kareena Kapoor wrapped up her portions on 15 October 2020.[65]

Khan suffered a rib injury while shooting an action sequence, but ensuring that there is no delay in the shoot, the actor took a few pain killers and tried to subside his injury for the time being and continued working as he knew that there were special arrangements made for the shooting schedule. Earlier, while shooting for an important running sequence, Aamir Khan had suffered extreme physical exertion due to constant running.[66] The actor shot few sequences at a sports complex located at Noida on 28 October 2020.[67]

In July 2021, Aamir Khan and his team flew to Ladakh, where they spent some one month and shot war sequences.[68] After wrapping up the Ladakh schedule the team reached to Srinagar in the first week of August. In Srinagar, the shooting of the film was carried out at various places, some important sequences were shot at Delhi Public School Srinagar (DPS),[69] Amar Singh College and Boulevard Road near Dal Lake. During shooting in the premises of DPS, a 12-year-old, visually impaired student Zainab Bilal aka RJ Zainab has interviewed Aamir Khan for the school's in-house radio station, Radio DPS.[70] Chaitanya joined the production in July 2021 and completed shooting his portions by August 2021.[71]

Aamir Khan, Kareena Kapoor Khan and Prakash Vaghasiya were seen resuming the shoot of the film in Mumbai on 13 September. After wrapping up portions together last year, the two of them reunited for patchwork shoot in Andheri.[72] The film was wrapped up on 16 September 2021.[73][74][75]

The trailer for the film was launched at the final of the 2022 Indian Premier League on 29 May.[76]

Pinkvilla reviewing the track "Kahani" stated that "The 2-minute song takes you inside the world of Laal Singh Chaddha which is innocent, heartwarming, and all about creating beautiful memories."[93] The Indian Express stated that "The mood and flavours of Laal Singh Chaddha are beautifully packed in its latest song "Kahani". Hindustan Times reviewing the track "Tur Kalleyan" stated that "The song captures the beauty of rising above everything else and walking alone."[94]

Laal Singh Chaddha released on 11 August 2022 alongside dubbed versions in Tamil and Telugu languages.[95][96] Earlier, it was announced to release on 25 December 2020, coinciding with Christmas.[97] However, due to production halt owing to COVID-19 pandemic in India, the release was delayed by a year to 24 December 2021, aiming for the Christmas weekend.[98] It was later rescheduled to release on 11 February and then 14 April 2022, however, it was postponed.[95] The Motion Picture Association gave the film a PG-13 rating for "some violent content, thematic elements and suggestive material."[99]

The film was distributed in India by Viacom18 Studios, while international distribution of the film was taken through Paramount Pictures.[100][101] The Telugu rights for Andhra Pradesh and Telangana region of the film were acquired by Geetha Arts.[102][103] The Tamil Nadu theatrical rights are acquired by Red Giant Movies.[104]

The digital distribution rights were acquired initially by Netflix at a cost of ₹150 crore.[105] However, after the catastrophic performance of the film, Netflix canceled the deal. Netflix had initially offered a figure of around ₹80–90 crore. Netflix finally offered a deal at ₹ 50 crore.[106] The film was digitally streamed on Netflix from 6 October 2022 in Hindi and dubbed versions of Tamil and Telugu languages.[107][108][109] Upon release, the film ranked in the top 10 in 13 countries in its first week on Netflix, the film finished second on the global non-English movies chart, with over 6.6 million hours viewed.[110]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 66% of 35 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.8/10. The website's consensus reads: "It's indebted to its source material to the point of creative poverty, but Laal Singh Chaddha is also such an amiable retelling that it's difficult to dislike."[111]

Laal Singh Chaddha received mixed reviews from critics and audience.[112][113] Devesh Sharma of Filmfare rated the film 4 out of 5 stars and wrote "Atul and Advait have invested more in the story than history. As a result, this has a better emotional core than the original".[114] Sonil Dedhia of News 18 rated the film 4 out of 5 stars and wrote "Aamir Khan's Laal Singh Chaddha is a movie that deftly grapples with the pessimism of the world, but handled in a mature way".[115] Renuka Vyavahare of The Times Of India rated the film 3.5 out of 5 stars and wrote "LSC holds onto the good old values that make it worthy of a family outing. You will particularly remember a crackling Shah Rukh Khan cameo".[116] Stutee Ghosh of The Quint rated the film 3.5 out of 5 stars and wrote "Laal Singh Chaddha is made up of many memorable, heartwarming moments. It says a lot that will leave us smiling or moist eyed".[117] Sukanya Verma of Rediff rated the film 3.5 out of 5 stars and wrote "Laal Singh Chaddha does not let its source down. And replacing a box of chocolates with a ready-to-eat gol gappe kit is geeeenius, like Laal's Ustad would say".[118] Sanchita Jhunjhunwala of Zoom rated the film 3.5 out of 5 stars and wrote "The movie leaves you teary eyed, even though it doesn't make you cry, and that, we feel, makes it a job well done by the entire team!".[119] Avinash Lohana of Pinkvilla rated the film 3 out of 5 stars and wrote "Aamir Khan and his team manage to live up to the original and present an entertaining watch".[120] Nairita Mukherjee of India Today rated the film 3 out of 5 stars and wrote "For the most part, director Advait Chandan's Laal Singh Chaddha remains faithful to the original material".[121]

Nandini Ramnath of Scroll.in rated the film 3 out of 5 stars and wrote "Except for a few crucial changes, the film is faithful to the beats of its source material".[122][123] Rohit Bhatnagar of The Free Press Journal rated the film 3 out of 5 stars and wrote "The film is a bit too lengthy but Shah Rukh Khan's cameo will make it up for you".[124] Sushri Sahu of Mashable rated he film 3 out of 5 stars and wrote "Laal Singh Chaddha deserves a watch for its special cameo alone".[125] Mugdha Kapoor of DNA India rated the film 3 out of 5 stars and wrote "Laal Singh Chaddha has made a valiant effort to deliver a message of forgiveness, optimism and compassion".[126] Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV rated the film 3 out of 5 stars and wrote "A de-aged Aamir Khan throws all that he has into the role and comes up with a simpleton who is wondrously loveable".[127] Anna M. M. Vetticad of Firstpost rated the film 2.5 out of 5 stars and wrote "Laal Singh Chaddha must stand on its own sans comparisons since it is being viewed in 2022 by a whole generation of viewers to whom Forrest Gump is not a cultural reference that evokes nostalgia".[128] Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express rated the film 2 out of 5 stars and wrote "It's not just the pace of the film which is the trouble. It is also, centrally and crucially, Sardar Laal Singh Chaddha himself, as played by Aamir Khan".[129] A critic for Bollywood Hungama rated the film 2 out of 5 stars and wrote "Despite fine performances and lovely moments the excessive length and slow pacing goes against Laal Singh Chaddha"[130]

Laal Singh Chaddha received mixed reviews from international critics and audience.[131][132] Proma Khosla of Indie Wire rated the film 3.5 out of 5 stars and wrote "Kulkarni and Chandan deserve a whole box of gol gappe".[133] Mike McCahill of The Guardian rated the film 3 out of 5 stars and wrote "Director Advait Chandan is too literal in his adaptation of the 90s classic but finds a warmth and political honesty the original lacks".[134] Witney Seibold of Slash Film rated the film 7 out of 10 stars and wrote "Despite how corny it is, Laal Singh Chaddha it unexpectedly disarming".[135] Carlos Aguilar of The Wrap stated "The setting and language have changed, but the story still thinks it's being uplifting about the neuroatypical even as it punches down".[136] Siddhant Adlakha of Joy Sauce stated "Laal Singh Chaddha is an effective adaptation that not only localizes the specifics of Forrest Gump, but translates its relationship with its setting, swapping the self-professed peace and prosperity of '90s America for the more volatile and nationalistic climate of modern India, where the country's image of itself remains in constant flux".[137] Nicolas Rapold of The New York Times commented that "The movie's charms are limited by what comes to feel like a coddling conceit.".[138]

Laal Singh Chaddha earned ₹11.70 crores at the domestic box office on its opening day. On the second day, the film collected ₹7.26 crore. On the third day, the film collected ₹9 crore. On the fourth day, the film collected ₹10 crore, taking a total domestic weekend collection to ₹37.96 crore.[139]

As of 22 August 2022, the film grossed ₹69.92 crore (US$8.8 million) in India and ₹59.72 crore (US$7.5 million) overseas, for a worldwide gross collection of ₹129.64 crore (US$16 million).[139]