Shah Rukh Khan's biggest flop was most expensive Indian film, earned just ₹9 cr; co-star was jailed, another got threats

The biggest box office bomb of Shah Rukh Khan's career had a stupendous opening but disappeared from theatres within two days.

That Shah Rukh Khan has been the most influential and impactful personality in Hindi cinema over the last three decades is not up for debate. The actor has consistently given the biggest box office hits and helped increase the reach of Hindi films overseas with his superstardom. Since his meteoric rise in the early 90s, it almost seems like SRK has never seen a lean phase. But there have been a few misses amid his hits. The biggest of them all was a box office bomb so colossal that it crippled distributors for years.

Shah Rukh Khan in a still from Trimurti.

Shah Rukh Khan's biggest box office bomb

In 1995, Shah Rukh Khan was riding a wave of success. He had starred in two blockbusters in Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge and Karan Arjun, and also delivered a semi-hit in Guddu. Ram Jaane had also become a hit at the box office by December. He was clearly the number one prospect at the box office. Hence, him sharing the screen with Jacky Shroff and Anil Kapoor in Mukul Anand's Trimurti was seen as a casting coup. The action film had been mounted on a budget of ₹11 crore, the highest for any Indian film at the time. It broke Shanti Kranti and Ajooba's record for being the most expensive Indian film.

Trimurti brought together Jacky Shroff, Shah Rukh Khan, and Anil Kapoor for the first and only time.

Trimurti released in theatres on December 22, and had the biggest opening for any Indian film ever, earning ₹1 crore on day 1 in India, Its global haul in the opening weekend was over ₹5 crore. At the time, it seemed Mukul Anand's big-budget gamble was set to pay off. But the film then disappeared from the theatres. Bad reviews and even worse word of mouth meant that the footfalls dwindled and collections tanked. In the end, Trimurti's final haul in India was short of ₹9 crore, less than its budget. India Today reported that the film had been sold at an astounding price of ₹2 crore per territory, incurring losses of over ₹6 crore.

Triumrti cast shuffle

Trimurti initially starred Shah Rukh and Jackie alongside Sanjay Dutt, who even shot a few scenes. However, after he was sentenced to prison in the Mumbai blasts case, Mukul Anand approached Aditya Pancholi for the role. However, producer Subhash Ghai advocated for Anil Kapoor, and he was cast. Pancholi later reportedly began to give Anil Kapoor threatening phone calls over the role. The situation got so out of hand that the police got involved, and Aditya Pancholi apologised.

Director Mukul Anand with the film's original cast - Sanjay Dutt, Shah Rukh, and Jacky Shroff.

Trimurti was the last completed film of director Mukul Anand, who died while filming Dus in 1997. That film was shelved. Trimurti also starred Priya Tendulkar, Mohan Agashe, and Anjali Jathar in pivotal roles. While the film was unsuccessful, its music proved to be a hit. Of the six songs composed by Laxmikant-Pyarelal, Very Good Very Bad and Bol Bol Bol became chartbusters.