Sujoy Ghosh Says Amitabh Bachchan Was His Biggest Support Despite Aladin’s Failure: 'The First Person...'

Director Sujoy Ghosh, best known for his Kahaani film series, recently recalled the tough phase in his career when no one was willing to back his project. After his 2009 film Aladin, starring Amitabh Bachchan, Riteish Deshmukh and Jacqueline Fernandez, flopped, he struggled to find support. However, Sujoy shared that Big B remained his biggest supporter during this challenging phase. In an interview with Mashable India, the director revealed that Aladin’s failure had damaged his reputation. Thus, when he approached several people with the script of Kahaani, everyone turned it down, saying, “Bakwaas script hai (It’s a terrible script),” as a pregnant woman was just running in the alleys of Kolkata, with nothing much happening.

Recalling Aladin’s failure, Sujoy said, “In all, 17 people must have watched Aladin, and out of that, 15 were from my own family. Either a film works, or it doesn’t. If it works, then it is a good movie. If it doesn’t, then it is a bad film. So, if it didn’t work, then probably I made a bad movie. You have to just accept it and move on.”

However, Amitabh Bachchan vouched for his support through it all. “I went to him with Aladin. He agreed to do it. I have no idea why, and I didn’t want to question it either. He said yes, and that was enough. When Aladin didn’t work, I think sir was the first person who told me that you make whatever you want to, I am with you. And he did it,” Sujoy Ghosh added.

The director, who worked with Big B on his 2019 crime thriller Badla, further stated, “Amit ji is everywhere in Kahaani. His song, his voice-over, and he did everything. They say that when God is busy, he sends someone. God must be busy, and sir showed up.”

Kahaani turned out to be a turning point in Sujoy’s career. The Vidya Balan starrer was made on a meagre budget of just Rs 15 crore, and it earned over Rs 79 crore globally. The film received critical acclaim, garnering praise for its screenplay, cinematography and performances of the star cast.

As of now, Sujoy Ghosh is busy filming King, where he has teamed up with the father-daughter duo Shah Rukh Khan and Suhana Khan. The film will also feature Abhishek Bachchan and Abhay Verma in pivotal roles. As per a report by Pinkvilla, the action-thriller is said to begin production in January 2025.