'83 is a huge victim of COVID third wave'

Filmmaker Kabir Khan's '83' was released in December 2021 to glowing reviews. The film that chronicled India's historic win at the Cricket World Cup, starred Ranveer Singh as veteran cricketer Kapil Dev, Saqib Saleem, Ammy Virk, Pankaj Tripathi, Jatin Sarna and others. However, the praise did not translate into box office earnings, as the third wave in India had already begun to sweep the country by then. The big-budget film could only manage a shade over Rs 100 crore at the box office.

Speaking about this to an entertainment new portal, Kabir Khan said that there was indeed a 'sense of disappointment', as his film had become a 'huge victim' of the third wave. He said that the day the film was released, two states announced night curfews. By day two, six states had cancelled the night shows and by the fourth day, Delhi had shut down the theatres. He acknowledged the adverse effect it had on the film and understood the paranoia of the audience as the cases were increasing.

"There is a sense of disappointment that our timing was all wrong," he said.

However, he did not want to continue 'crying' about it and is just overwhelmed by the love that the film has received. He also hopes that if things do get better in the eight-week run, the film might still have a chance to do better - especially Delhi.