No major stars, no hype: Why Anand Pandit knew Haunted 3D Echoes of the Past would work

June 12 was a rather crowded Friday at the movies. There was Imtiaz Ali making his big-screen comeback with the partition era romance Main Vaapas Aaunga, Kangana Ranaut-led Bharat Bhagya Vidhata, and on the Hollywood front, Steven Spielberg’s Disclosure Day alongside the highly anticipated Backrooms. To top it all, Hollywood horror sensation Obsession was already running to packed theatres. But what happened that Friday was something few could have imagined. Out of all these big-ticket releases, it was Vikram Bhatt’s Haunted 3D: Echoes of the Past, produced by Anand Pandit, that emerged victorious at the box office.

Few had predicted that the film would draw audiences to theatres. With no major star backing (the movie starred Mimoh Chakraborty and Chetna Pande), nor impressive promotional assets, it nevertheless managed to put up decent numbers. However, producer Anand Pandit tells SCREEN that he was always confident the film would strike a chord with audiences. “My expectation was always that people will love this movie. And the reason behind that is Vikram is a very good storyteller. And this is his zone. He is not moving out of his zone. So I was very confident that people will like it. And especially since some time, if you see, genre of horror is becoming very popular, and it has got its own special niche audience.”

When asked what it is about the horror genre that is drawing audiences more than ever before, Pandit argues that horror has never really gone out of fashion. According to him, the genre has historically enjoyed a loyal audience, and success depends less on trends than on telling the right story with effective execution. “If you see, right from Mahal (1949), Bees Saal Baad and Woh Kaun Thi?, all were superhit films. So, since then, the genre has had its own following. In the ’70s and ’80s, the Ramsay Brothers were the big thing. Then, in the early 2000s, you had Bhoot, Raaz and 1920. More recently, Stree, Tumbbad, Bhool Bhulaiyaa and Munjya have all been successful movies. So I would say that there has always been a particular appetite for the horror genre among our viewers.”

Vikram Bhatt directed Haunted 2. (Photo: Vikram Bhatt/Instagram)

‘Without, Vikram, the film will not release’

Anand Pandit also believes horror is one of the few genres where compelling storytelling can outweigh the draw of marquee names. “If you’re able to get the storytelling and your screenplay right, with everything falling into place, I think star value only adds to it, but success is then imminent. And especially with horror, people come for the experience rather than star power.”

Haunted 3D: Echoes of the Past’s success marked a welcome turnaround for both Pandit and Vikram Bhatt, particularly after the latter endured a turbulent few months marked by imprisonment and an ongoing legal battle. Despite the uncertainty surrounding the release, Pandit says he never considered moving ahead without Bhatt by his side.

“When Vikram was having a hard time in Rajasthan, he sent a message to me through his daughter saying that I could release the film. But I said, ‘Without, Vikram, the film will not release.’ I had the conviction that it’s his baby, and he should be present for it. And yes, even up to the last day, we had a roller-coaster ride. But I’m very happy that we were able to release it, and that people loved the film.”

What has also been particularly interesting is the trajectory of Main Vaapas Aaunga, which released alongside Haunted 3D: Echoes of the Past. While the film opened to a subdued response, it has gradually transformed into a sleeper hit, with its box office collections growing steadily on the back of strong word of mouth.

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Asked about the phenomenon, Anand Pandit acknowledged that audience recommendations remain one of the most powerful forces at the box office. “See, word of mouth is a big phenomenon. If you get that, there is nothing like it. In regional cinema, it is a different story because the films start very slow and then pick up after the second week. But here, in the Hindi mainstream, I think five or six days is a good enough time. If your film is going to work, it will work within the first week, I believe.”

But when asked about the growing trend of multiplexes allocating the lion’s share of screens to tentpole releases, in this case, Hollywood spectacles like Obsession, leaving smaller, content-driven Hindi films such as Main Vaapas Aaunga with limited opportunities to find an audience, Pandit offered a measured response.

Also Read | The devastatingly affective tragedy of Main Vaapas Aaunga’s climax

Problem with the exhibition system

“So I think it’s ultimately a matter of business. Even for exhibitors, the question is how many seats they can fill. That’s the name of the game. If tomorrow your film is running houseful, they’ll even remove English films to accommodate it. So I think we also have to be fair to exhibitors. They’re in business too, and their priority is to maximise occupancy. That said, I’m concerned about what’s happening right now. It’s not just about the number of screens. Most Hindi films are made on budgets of around Rs 30–40 crore, so they can only achieve a certain scale and spectacle. Hollywood films, on the other hand, are often made on budgets of Rs 400, Rs 500 or even Rs 600 crore. They are then dubbed into Hindi, Punjabi, Tamil, Gujarati and other languages at a relatively small additional cost, allowing them to tap into our market and take away a significant share of the revenue.”

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He called for a policy intervention: “So I believe there should be some kind of policy or safeguard for these films. Hollywood and other foreign productions don’t contribute much to our economy in terms of local production or employment. Countries like China have policies to protect their domestic film industry. Whether we should have something similar is a separate debate, but I do think it’s a conversation worth having.”

While Anand Pandit is currently enjoying a successful run with Haunted 3D: Echoes of the Past, some of his high-profile productions in recent years, including Chehre, starring Amitabh Bachchan and Emraan Hashmi, and Thank God, featuring Ajay Devgn and Sidharth Malhotra, failed to live up to box office expectations.

Reflecting on those setbacks, Pandit suggested that each film fell short for different reasons. “Thank God, I think, is a fantastic subject, and we had an excellent director. But yes, maybe we missed out somewhere on adding more humour, because people always thought it should be an extremely humorous film. Instead, it became more sentimental. As far as Chehre is concerned, I think it turned out very well. But unfortunately, because of COVID, we lost out on that.”

Producer Anand Pandit is amongst the richest in Bollywood. (Photo: Anand Pandit/Instagram)

‘Shah Rukh Khan wanted me to do the Vastu of his place’

Speaking of Chehre, the film marked a deeply personal milestone for Anand Pandit, as it gave him the opportunity to collaborate with Amitabh Bachchan, an actor he had admired since his childhood and whom he credits as one of his earliest inspirations. Growing up in Ahmedabad, Pandit says Bachchan’s on-screen persona, particularly in Yash Chopra’s Trishul, played a significant role in shaping his ambitions. “I think I am one of the most fortunate persons. Coming from a small town, Ahmedabad, after watching Trishul so many times, I wanted to do my real estate business and wanted to become Vijay from Trishul in Bombay. And I am fortunate that today my real estate company is doing extremely well. And Mr. Bachchan was one of my motivators. I share an excellent relationship with him, and I am very fortunate that Bachchan sir keeps his blessings on me.”

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Another superstar with whom Pandit shares a close bond is Shah Rukh Khan. Recalling their friendship, Pandit spoke about being approached by the actor during a challenging phase in his career. “Shah Rukh Khan is a great guy. Once, he wanted me to do the Vastu of his place, and we corrected the energy of the Vastu. After that, his films were doing extremely well. That’s why he publicly said that because of that Vastu correction, his films are doing well now. And he said I am his spiritual guru. I mean, that was a little too much. But we are good friends.”