Bollywood’s most expensive film, became huge flop, producers sold assets to clear debt, director wanted to commit suicide, earned Rs…, lead actors were…

Following the blockbuster success of Mr. India in 1987, producer Boney Kapoor aimed to recreate the magic by bringing back the winning team of his brother Anil Kapoor, Sridevi and filmmaker Shekhar Kapur. In 1988, he announced Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja, and included Jackie Shroff and Anupam Kher too in the star-studded cast. While it began as one of the most highly anticipated projects in Bollywood, it ultimately ended up being one of the industry’s biggest flops.

The film saw major delays in the making, which enraged Shekhar Kapur and he quit the project midway. His assistant director Satish Kaushik then took over, marking his directorial debut with Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja. After facing six years of delay, the film eventually released in 1993. While the average cost of the film was around Rs 2-3 crore, it went overboard and the final budget ended up on Rs 10 crore. It became one of the most expensive Bollywood movies at that time.

When released, Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja failed to impress audience and critics, earning just Rs 3 crore. It was criticised for the inclusion of too many songs, predictable storyline and runtime.

According to reports, Boney Kapoor had to sell most of his assets to clear debts. In an interview with The New Indian Express, he recalled that his wife Mona Shourie walked Siddhivinayak Temple barefoot to pray for him.

Satish Kaushik also went through a tough time. He had almost felt suicidal when the film failed as it was his first directorial project. In an interview with Mumbai Mirror, the late actor expressed, “I was newly married and even my wife was fed up. If I would have jumped out of the window, nothing would have happened, as I was on the first floor. The dinner table was set on the ground floor. If I had jumped I would have landed on Bhindi Ki Sabzi and people would have made fun of that as well.”

The film also caused rift between Satish Kaushik and Shekhar Kapur, and they didn’t speak for years. However, Boney worked with him again on films like like Prem (1995) and Hamara Dil Aapke Paas Hai (2000), which Kaushik directed.

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