Nayak producer AM Ratnam on why Anil Kapoor-starrer gained cult status on TV, reveals real reason for 'dull theatrical business' | Exclusive

Anil Kapoor's Nayak: The Real Hero is one such movie that millennials or Gen Y have watched several times. The political action-drama marked S.Shankar's Hindi directorial debut, and it was the remake of the director's own Tamil blockbuster Mudhalvan (1999). The film features fine performances from Anil, late Amrish Puri, Paresh Rawal, Johnny Lever, and Sourabh Shukla. The film had everything pitch-perfect. Yet, it was a commercial failure.

Yes, Nayak failed in cinemas, and over the years, it gained a cult following, thanks to great satellite viewership. The repeated telecast of the film made it popular nationwide. Arguably, after Sooryavansham, Nayak had the most reruns on Sony Max. In all these years, many moviegoers, especially 90s born wondered why Nayak flopped. Well, DNA India got the answer, and that too from Nayak's producer, AM Ratnam. 

Recently, AM Ratnam attended the grand music launch of his upcoming production, Pawan Kalyan's Hari Hara Veera Mallu, in Hyderabad. After the event, DNA India met Ratnam for an exclusive chat. The producer expressed his excitement for his upcoming period actioner, but didn't shy away from discussing Nayak. 

AM Ratnam on why Nayak flopped in cinemas 

DNA asks Ratnam why Nayak failed in cinemas, and he reveals, "When Nayak was released, in its first week, the tragic 9/11 attacks happened. The terrorist attacks in America shook the entire world, and total attention was shifted to these incidents. In satellite, it's (Nayak) is a big hit. People who didn't watch it in cinemas later watched it on TV. But yes, the theatrical business got affected due to the September 11 attacks." For the unversed, Nayak was released in cinemas on September 7, 2001, four days before the attacks. 

Watch the famous Anil Kapoor interviewing Amrish Puri scene from Nayak

Ask Ratnam about the impact of Nayak on the audience, he says, "It is still being watched and loved. Whenever I go to North India, people come to me and say, 'Aap Nayak ke producer hai. Humne yeh 15 baar dekhi, 20 baar dekhi'." Ratnam adds that when Arvind Kejriwal won the Delhi assembly elections in 2014, he was compared to Anil Kapoor's Shivaji Rao. His journey as a common man winning was compared to the film." Ratnam's upcoming production, Hari Hara Veera Mallu, will be released in cinemas on June 12.