‘90% of Indians’ trends on X after Siddharth Anand claimed that Hrithik Roshan-starrer Fighter underperformed as 90% of the population have never travelled by an aeroplane

The much-awaited flick Fighter opened to a not-so-great response. Starring Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone, the aerial action thriller did see a jump on Republic Day. But it registered a sharp drop on Monday, which sealed its fate. And now, a quote given by director Siddharth Anand is being made fun of and widely shared on social media.

Siddharth Anand, in an interview with Baradwaj Rangan on Galatta Plus, was asked about the slow start to Fighter. Siddharth Anand replied that as per his analysis, the masses felt disconnected from the film as 90% of India’s population has never travelled by aeroplane. This quote by the filmmaker, lasting 40 seconds, went viral. That’s not all; ‘90% of Indians’ started trending on X (formerly Twitter).

Siddharth Anand said, “If you realize, there is a huge percentage of our country – I would say 90% – who have not flown in planes and who have not been to an airport. So, how do you expect them to know what’s happening in the air? (This) is my dissection. So, they felt that this was a little alien.”

Siddharth further said, “How much percentage of our population has a passport? And how many of them have travelled in a plane? So, you are talking about the plane’s action. They have not understood what the exhilaration they are supposed to feel in the action (of Fighter). What is supposed to happen?”

Sir Anand thinks his movie tanked because “90% of Indians haven’t been to an airport”.
Was Oppenheimer a big hit in India as the majority of Indians understand nuclear science? pic.twitter.com/yZJDjybW2R
— Sushant Chaturvedi (@ShawshankOne) February 2, 2024

Siddharth, after this quote, also said, “But once you enter the auditorium, you realize that it’s an emotional kahaani. It is a very desi story and appeals to the lowest common denominator as a story.”

As of February 2, 3:00 pm IST, there were more than 4600 posts with the text ‘90% of Indians’ and the number was growing rapidly. Most of them questioned the logic. They also asked why a film like Oppenheimer worked when most Indians don’t know nuclear science or how war films have succeeded despite very few citizens of the country having fought at the border.

Also Read: Siddharth Anand breaks silence on mediocre performance of Fighter at box office: “It is a huge leap for a filmmaker”