EXCLUSIVE: Siddharth Anand on what he felt during boycott calls against Pathaan: “To see such negativity around this film, it just is heartbreaking and unnerving”

With War and now Pathaan, Siddharth Anand has had two blockbusters back-to-back. Following the Rs. 729 crore worldwide collections and the nett collection in India at Rs. 378.15 crores, Siddharth has begun the promo cycle with a bang. In an exclusive conversation, he spoke at length about the film, actors Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone and John Abraham. He also addressed the boycott calls that were being made prior to the release after a certain section was offended over Deepika wearing a saffron bikini in the ‘Besharam Rang’ song. When asked what was happening around him and how he felt, Siddharth Anand told Bollywood Hungama, “It’s unnerving and unnecessary because we hadn't made a film that should draw any attention to any negativity. We made an entertaining commercial film. In a way, it's patriotic. You feel patriotic. Someone sent me a video where in the scene where SRK’s character does a salute to Dimple Kapadia, you saw a man standing up in theatre when for unfurling the flag of the country. So it brings out that fervour. To see such negativity around this film, it just is heartbreaking and unnerving. Unnecessary. So yeah, so I hear about these things. We read about these things. But no, I'm not on any social media.” Helmed by Siddharth Anand, Pathaan is currently running in theatres in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. Meanwhile, Shah Rukh Khan has two more releases this year – Atlee Kumar’s Jawan releasing in June followed by Rajkumar Hirani’s Dunki in December. On the other hand, Siddharth Anand reunites with Hrithik Roshan for the third time after Bang Bang and War. He will direct Fighter which marks his reunion with Deepika Padukone, too. The film will release in theatres on Republic Day 2024. ALSO READ: EXCLUSIVE: Siddharth Anand reveals Hrithik Roshan was also a choice for Ranbir Kapoor starrer Bachna Ae Haseeno; says Aditya Chopra upped the budget after Saawariya failed at box office