With more than 55 years of experience in the Hindi cinema industry, Amitabh Bachchan is known as one of the greatest stars of all time. Across all the genres of Bollywood movies, Bachchan has given numerous record-breaking blockbuster films over his five-decade long career. But surprisingly, Big B has not been particularly successful in the fantasy genre. 

At the age of 81, Amitabh Bachchan is back and all set to break this curse with his recently released fantasy and sci-fi anticipated thriller film Kalki 2898 AD. 

Big B playing the character of the Immortal Ashwatthama from the Mahabharat, with a stellar cast of Prabhas, Deepika Padukone, Disha Patani and Kamal Hassan in Kalki 2898 AD, directed by Nag Ashwin, has been acclaimed as one of the largest blockbusters.  

A blockbuster is a work of entertainment—typically used to describe a feature film produced by a major film studio, but also other media—that is highly popular and financially successful in Indian cinema history. 

It was anticipated that the movie was going to break opening day records in India and around the world; it garnered many substantial advance bookings. Below are the seven fantasy flops of Amitabh Bachchan ahead of Kalki 2898 AD: 

Toofan

In Ketan Desai’s film Toofan, Bachchan is in the lead role, portraying the character of a superhero named Toofan, who has a Crossbow as a weapon blessed by Lord Hanuman.

The movie had a great opening weekend at the box office but ultimately underperformed miserably over the days. 

Why it failed? 

‘Toofan’ starring Amitabh Bachchan was a box office flop aiming to blend action, fantasy, drama and suspense back then.

The movie also suffered because of a complicated plot and unimpressive and unrealistic special effects that did not hold the audience’s attention for too long.

The film’s poor production quality and narrative problems, despite Big B star power, prevented it from being commercially successful.  

Ajooba 

Shashi Kapoor and the Indo-Russin director, Gennady Vasilyev co-directed the Bollywood film Ajooba, in which Amitabh Bachchan portrayed another Superhero named Ajooba.

The Indo-Russian movie, starring Amrish Puri and Rishi Kapoor was a complete disaster.  

Why it failed? 

Ajooba was a box office failure because of its weak script, unpredictable direction and mediocre special effects.

The movie with its star-studded cast including Big B, attempted to create a fantasy adventure but failed to successfully blend its fairy tale elements with the conventional Bollywood style.  

Agni Varsha 

In Arjun Sajani’s Agni Varsha, Big B portrays the character of Devraj Indra. The movie starring Jackie Shroff, Raveena Tandon, Nagarjuna, Sonali Kulkarni, Mohan Agashe, Milind Soman and Prabudeva was a huge commercial failure. 

Why it failed?  

The main reasons behind ‘Agni Varsha’ movie failure were its niche appeal and the absence of popular commercial components.

A powerful cast and a gripping adaptation of Girish Karnad’s Drama ‘The Fire and The Rain’ kept the film’s considerable emphasis on mythological and philosophical topics from connecting with a wider audience.

The movie’s complicated plot and slower pace further reduced its general appeal and contributed to its failure at the box office. 

Paheli 

In the movie Paheli, Amitabh Bachchan had a short cameo as a Gadariya, who ultimately chooses what would happen to Shah Rukh Khan’s character, Kishan Lal and the Maya (Ghost), who will be living on the land and who will live in the bottle or jar.  

Why it failed? 

The film Paheli which starred King Khan (Shah Rukh Khan) and Rani Mukherji did not perform well at the box office.

Although the film, which was based on a classic Rajasthani folk story, had a lot of cultural components and was visually magnificent, it lacked the commercial spice and entertainment value for larger audiences that they were looking for and expecting from the cast and plot. 

God Tussi Great Ho 

Amitabh Bachchan played the role of God in Salman Khan’s starrer Fantasy Film God Tussi Great Ho. The film which also starred Priyanka Chopra and Sohail Khan, was a poor remake of ‘Bruce Almighty’ and was a box office flop. 

Why it failed? 

‘God Tussi Great Ho’ was a commercial failure due to its weak script, poor performances, and lack of originality.

With the stellar cast, Salman Khan, Priyanka Chopra and Amitabh Bachchan, the film was heavily inspired by the Hollywood film ‘Bruce Almighty’ but still failed to capture the charm and humor of the original film.

The film’s inconsistent soundtrack, unconventional effects and unpredictable plot failed to keep the audience’s attention. 

Aladin

Amitabh Bachchan played the role of a Genie in another box office flop movie named Aladin. Starring Riteish Deshmukh, Jacqueline Fernandez and Sanjay Dutt, the movie was an adaptation of the fairy tale Aladdin and the Magic Lamp. 

Why it failed? 

Aladin was a box office flop due to its weak script, inconsistent direction and lacklustre special effects. With the talented casts, the film attempted to modernize the classic fairy tale Aladin but was unsuccessful.

The film suffered from inconsistent tone, pacing and its combination of fantasy and modern elements did not go well with audiences. 

Brahmastra: Part One – Shiva 

In the movie Brahmastra: Part One – Shiva, Amitabh Bachchan plays the Guru of Brahmansh, who is the controller of the Prabhastra. The film co-stars Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt and Mouni Roy. Nagarjuna, Shah Rukh Khan also added cameos to the film. 

Why it failed? 

The fantasy epic film failed to live up to expectations at the domestic box office. Brahmastra: Part 1 Shiva got mixed box office success.

Though the film made phenomenal collections globally of around ₹431 crore. It remained average at the box office.