Ranbir Kapoor's return to the screen four years after the release of Sanju ended with a whimper rather than a bang - Shamshera, a period film in which he stars as a dacoit, utterly failed to set the box office on fire and has been savaged by critics. In a post shared on Instagram this week, director Karan Malhotra has apologized for "abandoning" the film in the wake of what he described as "hate and rage." This indictment of himself was also accompanied by affirmative words of faith in Shamshera. "Will face everything together, the good the bad and the ugly," wrote Karan Malhotra, whose previous work includes the well-received Agneepath remake and 2015 film Brothers.
In his note, addressed to the film itself, Karan Malhotra wrote: "My Dearest Shamshera, you are majestic the way you are. It is important for me to express myself on this platform because here is where all the love, the hate, the celebration and the humiliation exists for you. I want to unimaginably apologise to you for abandoning you for these past few days as I could not handle the hate and rage. My withdrawal was my weakness and there are no excuses for it. But now I am here, standing beside you hand in hand feeling proud and honoured that you are mine. Will face every thing together, the good the bad and the ugly. And a huge shout out to the Shamshera family, the cast and crew of Shamshera. The love, the blessings and the concern that has been showered upon us are the most precious and nobody can take that away from us. #Shamsheraismine #Shamshera."
The now-viral post has proved to be divisive. In the comments thread, Karan Malhotra received support from several quarters including actor Craig McGinlay who plays a British army officer in the film. "I love you Shamshera. I mean that with every bone in my body. Every single cast and crew member who worked on this film. I love the film and everyone involved. Unforgettable memories. I would work with you all again in a heartbeat #CHALOCHALO," he wrote. Many comments blamed the audience for failing to be appreciative, like this one: "Those who don't make movies, how can they be critical?" Another comment read: "Unnecessary hate, loved the film. We love Shamshera."
There was also plenty of negative feedback in the comments. "Work on screenplay please next time and the second and third act was very weak," read one. "Huge shout-out for making epic disaster," read another. "This explanation, sorry not acceptable," wrote one cine-goer who called the film "not good enough."
Read Karan Malhotra's post here:
Reviews of Shamshera have been unanimously poor, though Ranbir Kapoor's performance has been singled out for praise. "Another shot in the dark from the have-camera-will-shoot school of moviemaking, Shamshera is a horrendous period film," film critic Saibal Chatterjee wrote for NDTV, adding, "If bilge had a title, it would be Shamshera. Yes, Shamshera is Thugs of Hindostan-level bad, with its period detailing being at par with Mohenjodaro."
Ticket sales reflected the reviews. Shamshera managed a dismal Rs 10 crore on opening day, struggling on subsequent days as well and joining the likes of Dhaakad and Samrat Prithviraj on the list of flops that Bollywood has delivered recently.
Ranbir Kapoor will next be seen in one of the highly anticipated films Brahmastra, co-starring Alia Bhatt, Amitabh Bachchan, Nagarjuna and Mouni Roy. Helmed by Ayan Mukerji, the movie is slated to release on September 9.
