Pankaj Tripathi says Bollywood needs self-assessment, addresses boycott trend: ‘If a film is bad, people don’t go to the halls…’

Pankaj Tripathi has opened up on the recent boycott trend, which some say is responsible for the dent in film collections of Bollywood movies. Lately, several big budget films including Aamir Khan’s Laal Singh Chaddha and Akshay Kumar’s Raksha Bandhan tanked at the box office, giving the industry a rather sharp jolt.
In a conversation with Siddharth Kanan, Pankaj discussed why films are not working in the post-pandemic era. He said, “Self-assessment is needed about what we are making and how we are making it—that’s necessary and that’s what is lacking.” Speaking about the boycott trend, the actor said, “If a film is bad, it doesn’t work, and doesn’t get boycotted. People don’t go to the cinema halls. That’s also a boycott then, isn’t it? There is no social media campaign then, and no hashtag but the film still doesn’t work. But yes self-assessment is needed.”

Speaking about his film 83 which did not perform well at the box office, Pankaj Tripathi said, “Nahin nahin, afsos nahin hota, maine paise thodi lagaya hai film mein (No, no, I’m not upset, I haven’t invested anything in the film.” He added that he has just invested talent. “I did what I had to do, with full sincerity and what happens after that, is not in my hands.” 83, a sports drama, which starred Ranveer Singh in the lead role, was affected the Omicron breakout in December and the box office collections suffered, despite positive reviews.
Pankaj Tripathi was recently in the show, Criminal Justice: Adhura Sach, which is streaming on Disney Hotstar.