Farah Khan is no stranger to delivering blockbuster entertainers. From Main Hoon Na and Om Shanti Om to Happy New Year, the filmmaker has enjoyed a successful directorial career. But Tees Maar Khan remains a film that broke his winning streak when it was released in 2010. While the film was panned by critics and did poorly at the box office, it has since gained a loyal cult following.Frankly speaking: Shekhar SumanIn Farah’s chat show, Farah reflects on how the failure of the film affected him personally and professionally.
‘All I do is click’
Recalling that phase of her career, Farah said, “Before Tees Maar Khan, I had no time in the dark. All I did was click. Now, of course, it’s become a cult film.”The filmmaker admitted that the criticism hit him hard and took time to recover from it.“It was very painful, and yes, to the point where I collapsed. I got out of bed after a week,” he said.
“The trolling I deal with is on another level”
Farah also spoke about dealing with online criticism at a time when social media was still in its infancy.“Luckily, there was no social media back then. There was only Twitter, and the trolling I faced there was on another level. I felt terrible because everything eventually comes back to you. There is always a well-meaning friend who comes and tells you, ‘This person said this,’ or ‘That person said that.’ I kept thinking, ‘I’ve worked with all these people. Why is this man tearing up my film?'” He explained that despite the absence of many social media platforms, the criticism surrounding the film spread quickly and affected him deeply, especially since most of it came from people he knew within the industry.Although Tees Maar Khan was considered a disappointment upon its release, the film has undergone a rare re-watch over the years. Today, it enjoys cult status among a section of the audience, with many repeating its comic moments, songs and dialogues long after its theatrical release.
