Rani Mukerji Reflects on Aditya Chopra’s Resilience Amid Box Office Struggles, Credits ‘Pathaan’ for YRF’s Turnaround

Rani vividly described the predicament that Aditya Chopra, the scion of YRF, found himself in as the pandemic wreaked havoc on scheduled releases. “Adi had these big films waiting to be released but pandemic happened, and they were stalled,” she said. Despite the financial strain and the burgeoning trend of direct-to-OTT releases, Chopra was determined to hold out for cinema halls to reopen, believing in the magic of the big screen experience. This decision came at a considerable cost, as Rani noted, “When these films were released, all flopped! The way the audience watched content around the pandemic and post that changed overnight.”