Filmmaker Vikram Bhatt opened up about the tough phase in his career when he faced back-to-back failures before finally bouncing back with the horror film 1920. In a recent interview, he revealed that after a string of 13 flops, even his crew members, including his lightman, doubted his ability to make a successful film.
A Series of Box Office Failures
Following the massive success of Raaz (2002), Vikram Bhatt struggled with multiple box office disasters. Speaking on Bharti Singh and Haarsh Limbachiya’s YouTube channel, he recalled how people in the industry stopped answering his calls. “In this industry, there’s a rule: if you have a couple of bad Fridays, people stop taking your calls. I felt helpless.”
Despite the setbacks, he decided to direct 1920, a horror film he strongly believed in. However, the production process was far from smooth. “I had no buyers, no studio backing, and everyone had their own reasons for rejecting it. Even my own lightman asked me, ‘Sir, yeh kaisi film hai?’ (What kind of film is this?). But I knew it would work.”
The Struggle to Release 1920
Vikram Bhatt revealed that he had 35 trial screenings of the film, but no distributor showed interest. Eventually, he had to release the film on his own, making the release day highly stressful.
Against all odds, 1920, starring Adah Sharma and Rajneesh Duggal, turned out to be a surprise hit, grossing ₹14 crore at the box office and spawning a franchise. It paved the way for Bhatt’s later hits like Haunted 3D and Raaz 3.
Though his recent films haven’t performed well, Bhatt’s journey remains an inspiring testament to perseverance and believing in one’s vision despite the odds.
