Arjun Kapoor made his return to the big screen with Ajay Bahl’s latest crime thriller movie, The Lady Killer, co-starring Bhumi Pednekar. However, the film’s journey to the box office has been anything but conventional. The film reportedly had a budget of $5.4 million but crashed at the box office with an opening of $456.
Check the trailer out here:
Why is The Lady Killer released incomplete?
Arjun Kapoor’s role in The Lady Killer generated quite a buzz, with fans and critics eagerly anticipating his performance in this crime thriller. Alongside Bhumi Pednekar, the film gradually took shape throughout 2023, with a whopping budget. Nonetheless, it faced its fair share of production challenges, primarily due to shooting schedule delays.
By October, The Lady Killer was still incomplete. Rather than further postponing the release, the filmmakers chose a bold approach. They dropped a trailer and announced a limited theatrical release for The Lady Killer. The film’s earnings barely crossed the convention mark, a far cry from the expected performance of a movie with such potential.
The film’s disjointed narrative and the absence of a marketing campaign or promotional efforts from the lead actors added to the speculations. Director Ajay Bahl recently stepped forward to shed light on the situation in the comment section of a YouTube channel named Tried & Refused.
Additionally, he revealed, “To confirm, yes the movie is incomplete. 30 pages of the 117-page screenplay were never shot. A huge number of connecting scenes. Arjun and Bhumi’s entire romance, Bhumi’s dependence on alcohol, Ajrun’s sense of being trapped and losing everything and having to run from town. His sense of total despair, all these psychological beats are missing. So yes, it’s no surprise that the film feels choppy and disjointed. One finds it hard to connect with the characters.”
Moreover, according to a report by Times of India, the film’s producer, T-Series, released The Lady Killer without completing the scheduled outdoor shoot in Uttarakhand due to incessant rains. The film had to be edited and finished without this crucial footage. The rushed cinema release was mainly due to an obligation to an upcoming OTT platform premiere.
