It was meant to be one of the biggest action spectacles of 2024. Bade Miyan Chote Miyan arrived with scale, swag, and serious ambition, with stars Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, and director Ali Abbas Zafar at the helm. But then the dust settled, and the film did not resonate — at least not on a critical or commercial level.
Recently, producer Jackky Bhagnani has offered the rare public acknowledgement of the failure of the film — and the implications that followed. Most importantly, he came clean; in fact, the cleanest, It’s rare to see a producer come clean about what it cost him to finance this film. He stated that his family mortgaged properties to finance the film.
“Nobody Can Understand Our Pain” — Jackky Gets Candid
In a recent interview, Jackky shared:
“As a family, we mortgaged our properties to make this film. We invested with faith, hoping that good content would connect. Unfortunately, it didn’t.”
The film was mounted on a ₹400 crore budget, and despite being a massive Eid release, it could only pull in ₹111.49 crore worldwide in 56 days — making it one of the year’s most disappointing outcomes, financially.
“I would like to say that the returns are not even 50%,” Jackky added. “I don’t think anyone can understand what our pain was.”
The Weight Of Scale Without Substance
Jackky also reflected on the creative missteps that may have contributed to the film’s underperformance:
“We realised that just scale is not good enough. The content we made didn’t resonate with the audience at all. The public is always right.”
Most sadly and outrageously, it comes at a time when small films have proven to make money using their hearts and good writing. Bade Miyan Chote Miyan has become another note of how films can do style over substance.
Behind The Glamour: Debts, Dues & Downsizing
The failure of the film also caused a domino effect of issues behind the scenes:
Reports emerged of unpaid dues to crew members.
Reports also surfaced revealing that the Pooja Entertainment office in Mumbai was sold off to pay down debt of ₹250 crore.
Questions have begun to arise about the legitimacy of the company in light of their rising operational costs and their high-risk productions.
Despite this, Jackky has stayed firm in his resolve to bounce back:
“It’s been a huge learning experience. The honest truth is, had the film worked, none of the controversies would exist.”
What Comes Next for Jackky Bhagnani?
While this has obviously been a career-defining disappointment, members with insider knowledge in the industry believe Jackky has reassessed and is planning a leaner, more content-rich slate. With details for upcoming projects not yet officially revealed, focus will shift to how he works through post-BMCM — as a creative force as well as a business brain.
Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, starring Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Prithviraj Sukumaran, Manushi Chhillar, and Alaya F, was directed by Ali Abbas Zafar and was released on 11 April 2024.
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