In Bollywood, many directors and actors have made films with the goal of shaping their sons' careers or firmly establishing them on the big screen. In some of these films, the father-son duo even appeared together. In this piece, we tell you the story of seven such father-son films that, despite hefty budgets and star power, failed to win over audiences and, one after another, crashed at the box office.
Jaani Dushman
Director Rajkumar Kohli made this multi-starrer in 2002 with the intention of re-establishing his son Armaan Kohli in Bollywood. Featuring big stars such as Akshay Kumar, Sunny Deol and Suniel Shetty, the film was made on a budget of around 18 crore rupees. Poor special effects, a weak storyline and Armaan Kohli's shape-shifting serpent character led audiences to mock the film heavily, and as a result it proved to be a major flop at the box office.
Love Story 2050
Through this science-fiction film released in 2008, Harry Baweja launched his son Harman Baweja as the lead actor. Boasting a big star in Priyanka Chopra and claims of Hollywood-level special effects, the film had money lavished on it. Made on a heavy budget of around 40 crore rupees, this futuristic film went over the heads of audiences. Its weak script made Harman's debut a complete flop.
Kites
Filmmaker Rakesh Roshan teamed up with his son Hrithik Roshan to make 'Kites' in 2010. Directed by Anurag Basu, it was one of the most expensive films of its time, with a hefty budget of 80 crore rupees. Despite Hrithik's chemistry with Mexican actress Barbara Mori and excellent visuals, more than half the film being in English and Spanish failed to connect with Indian audiences, making it a big flop.
Besharam
In 'Besharam', directed by Abhinav Kashyap and released in 2013, Ranbir Kapoor shared the screen for the first time with his parents Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Kapoor. Made on a budget of around 85 crore rupees, the film carried full expectations that the father-son magic would work. However, Ranbir's roguish character and the film's loud humour did not appeal to audiences at all. After a good initial opening, poor word of mouth sent the film crashing at the box office.
Mausam
Directed by Pankaj Kapur, this 2011 romantic-drama cast his son Shahid Kapoor as the lead actor. Sonam Kapoor appeared opposite Shahid in the film. Made on a large budget of around 40 crore rupees, the film's story depicts an unfinished love story that grows amid real-life events ranging from the Kashmir riots to the Kargil War. The excellent music and Shahid's Air Force pilot look were appreciated, but its extremely slow pace and drawn-out screenplay led audiences to reject it, and it proved to be a flop at the box office.
Genius
Anil Sharma, the director behind blockbusters like 'Gadar', made 'Genius' in 2018 to launch his son Utkarsh Sharma as the lead hero. As a child, Utkarsh had played Sunny Deol's son in 'Gadar'. 'Genius' added a flavour of suspense, action and romance to its RAW agent storyline, but due to a very weak plot, the film failed completely to draw audiences to theatres.
Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas
Through this romantic drama released in 2019, Sunny Deol launched his son Karan Deol in Bollywood. Sunny Deol himself directed it and spent money lavishly for his son's grand launch. Despite beautiful locations and good songs, Karan Deol's weak acting and a dull love story meant the film failed to work any magic in cinemas and flopped at the box office.
