Sonu Sood on Samrat Prithviraj's box office performance: Wish it could have done well

Sonu Sood is disappointed with the reception to his last released film “Samrat Prithviraj” and the actor says one must accept failures and learn from them. Fronted by Akshay Kumar, the historical drama was released in theatres on June 3 and did not receive favourable response from critics and audience.

The 49-year-old actor, who played the role of Prithviraj Chauhan's court poet Chand Bardai, said he wishes the film had fared better.

“I wish the film could have done well because there was a lot of hard work put in. As an actor, it is important that you give your 100 per cent and it is up to the audience to decide what is right and what is wrong in it.

“You have to accept your failures and learn from them and next time you can be better, you can deliver better. I, as an actor, do that. This time we failed but next time we will do well,” Sood told PTI in an interview.

Directed by Chandraprakash Dwivedi and produced by Yash Raj Films, the movie was mounted on a budget of Rs 175 crore and reportedly raised around Rs 90 crore at the ticket window. Irrespective of the box office fate of the film, Sood said “Samrat Prithviraj” will always remain one of the most special films of his career.

“‘Prithviraj’ was very special and the role of Chand Bardai was very special. Whatever role I will be offered, I will keep on working hard for it and try to entertain people,” he added.

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The Moga-born actor's next project is his debut podcast “Commander Karan Saxena”, based on author Amit Khan’s novel series “Hamladar Commander Saxena”.

Lending his voice to the action-thriller audio series was the most challenging task, said Sood. “It was challenging because you have to be right as the visuals don’t support you and just by your voice you have to create a world people can feel in a way that it stays longer in their memory,” he said.

The actor said he made some notes where he had to be mindful about how he would speak his lines. “I had made some pointers about certain scenes like, sometimes the character is climbing up or is breathless or is lying down or has woken up or is hurt, you can’t just say lines, the voice has to change accordingly. These pointers helped me,” he added.

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Some of his other upcoming films include Zee Studios action-thriller “Fateh”, for which he will start shooting from October, followed by “Kisaan”, directed by E Niwas. He also has a Tamil movie in his kitty with actor Vijay Anthony.

On the personal front, Sood continues to work round-the-clock to help people, who wait in long queues outside his residence in Mumbai. He shot to nationwide fame courtesy his philanthropy work for the migrant workers during the 2020 coronavirus-induced lockdown.

The journey that had started during the pandemic is still on, said Sood, adding he now feels more responsible about helping those in need. “The ones who do not have money, who have sold their coolers, bicycles or mobile phones or anything to reach out to me and imagine if I am not able to change their life or do what they need, they will go back heartbroken,” he said.

“I make sure people, who come with a lot of hope, go with a smile. There are people coming from Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand, Telangana, and other places. It is a responsibility on my shoulders and I have to make sure that I give 100 per cent effort. I pray to God to give me strength to do the job every single day,” he added.

“Commander Karan Saxena” will be available on Spotify India starting August 15.