Aamir Khan compares Thugs of Hindostan with Sholay, explains its box office failure: ‘You haven't seen original script'

Aamir Khan discussed the box office failure of Thugs of Hindostan, attributing it to repeated script changes that diluted the story.

Bollywood actor Aamir Khan recently reflected on the box office failure of his 2018 film, Thugs of Hindostan. Speaking at a recent event, Aamir compared the film to the classic Sholay and revealed that repeated script changes caused the story to lose its essence.

Aamir Khan says Thugs Of Hindostan was like Sholay.

Aamir Khan on Thugs of Hindostan failure

Aamir shared at the SCREEN Academy Masterclass at Whistling Woods International in Mumbai that while choosing films, he usually prioritises the story above everything else, including the role he is offered. However, he admitted that the only time he placed his character above the story was in Thugs of Hindostan, which “bounced back badly”.

He said, “Thugs of Hindostan has a very normal story. It’s Sholay. In Sholay, you have Sanjeev Kumar’s Thakur, who needs to take revenge for his family being wiped out. And two people come in and help him - Jai (Amitabh Bachchan) and Veeru (Dharmendra). Over here, it’s Zafira (Fatima Sana Shaikh) whose family gets wiped out. She needs help, and Firangi (Aamir) comes in.”

Aamir further explained that the film’s format and formula were very similar to Sholay, but several changes affected the final product. He said, “For casting reasons, we kept changing the script. I wouldn’t know I’d do a fundamental error, but sab se hota hai (it happens with everyone). We should not have changed the script even if we didn’t get the casting we wanted. So, when you’ve seen Thugs, you haven’t seen the original script that Victor had written because it went through a lot of changes.”

About Thugs Of Hindostan

Directed by Vijay Krishna Acharya, the 2018 period action-adventure film was produced by Aditya Chopra under Yash Raj Films. The film starred Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan, Katrina Kaif, Fatima Sana Shaikh, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, Ronit Roy, and Lloyd Owen in key roles.

Set during the East India Company’s expansion in India, the film followed Firangi Mallah, a small-time thug from Awadh, who is sent by a British official to infiltrate and counter a band of rebels.

The film received negative reviews from both critics and audiences upon release. Made on a reported budget of ₹300 crore, the film earned only ₹151 crore net in India, ending up as a massive box office failure.

About Aamir Khan’s upcoming film

Aamir is now awaiting the release of his upcoming production, Lahore 1947. Directed by Rajkumar Santoshi, the film stars Sunny Deol, Preity Zinta, Shabana Azmi, Karan Deol, Ali Fazal and Abhimanyu Singh in lead roles. The film is scheduled to release in theatres on August 13, 2026.