Epic On Paper, Flop In Theatres: Aamir Khan Says Thugs Of Hindostan Was His Sholay That Went Sideways

Aamir Khan has opened up again about why he signed “Thugs Of Hindostan” and even went so far as to compare the film’s ambition to “Sholay”. In a recent interaction, he said the film was conceived as a large-scale, all-audience entertainer in the classic Indian “event cinema” mould, and that on paper it felt like a once-in-a-generation opportunity. He also admitted, with characteristic candour, that the final outcome fell well short of expectations.

At the centre of his comments is a familiar Aamir theme: intent versus execution. He suggested that, when narrated, “Thugs Of Hindostan” had the “Sholay-like” promise of a big, ensemble adventure set against a wide canvas, with strong characters and mass appeal. But he conceded that they misjudged the script’s weaknesses and underestimated how much work it needed before going to floor.

Why He Signed “Thugs Of Hindostan”

Aamir described being drawn to three things: the chance to work with Amitabh Bachchan in a full-fledged, shared-screen space; the sheer scale of the visual world, pitched as a swashbuckling period adventure; and the hope of creating a modern epic that families could return to, much like they do with “Sholay”.

He has said that he genuinely believed, at the time of narration, that they might be able to deliver a classic – hence the mental comparison to an iconic film. In hindsight, he has taken responsibility for not catching structural issues early enough and for misreading how audiences would respond to the tone and writing.

How He Sees The Film Now

In later reflections, Aamir has been blunt that “Thugs Of Hindostan” did not work and that audience criticism was justified. He has spoken about learning the hard way that scale and star power cannot compensate for a script that doesn’t land, and that his own judgment can falter when he is emotionally excited about collaborators or scope.

For fans and industry watchers, his comments matter because they show an A-list star publicly dissecting a misfire, instead of hiding behind box-office math or blaming marketing. It also underlines a broader lesson he often repeats: in Hindi cinema, the script is still king, however big the canvas or cast.

Sources: Times of India, MensXP, iDiva, Moneycontrol