When This Sridevi And Anil Kapoor-starrer Proved 'Costly' For Boney Kapoor

The business of cinema is nothing less than a gamble. As one cannot predict the future of a film to be released. There have been multiple examples of films that were not expected to survive in theatres and ended up becoming huge hits. While sometimes highly anticipated films mounted on a huge scale with the best ensemble cast often failed miserably at the box office. Today we’ll talk about the most costly movies from the late 1980s and early 1990s. This film featured Sridevi and Anil Kapoor in the lead roles. The popular pair did not manage to rule the box office and the movie became the biggest flop of Sridevi and Anil Kapoor’s careers. Can you guess the film?

Yes, it is none other than Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja. After the massive success of the 1987 film Mr. India producer Boney decided to make another big-budget film inspired by Duchess and The Dirtwater Fox with the same team (director Shekhar Kapur, actors Anil and Sridevi). Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja was announced at Mr. India’s success celebration party and the film began production in 1987.

According to reports, during the shooting of the film, the makers faced several setbacks and the project was delayed for six years before its release. Director Shekhar Kapur left the movie halfway through, as he didn’t find the soul in the story. Satish Kaushik, Shekhar’s assistant and late actor, took up his role.

Due to delays, the production cost kept increasing and by the time of completion, the film went over budget. Reportedly, the film was made at a budget of 10 crores and was considered to be one of the most expensive films of that time. The movie was released in cinemas on April 16, 1993, and garnered negative reviews from critics and viewers. It got criticized for too many songs, a weak storyline and a runtime.

Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja opened with an unfavourable response from the audiences and became one of the biggest box office disasters, earning only Rs 3 crores. Bonny Kapoor got into debt. To clear the debts, producer Boney Kapoor reportedly liquidated a few of his assets. As per reports, during the making of Roop Ki Rani, Anil Kapoor signed many other films to fund his home production.