15 Reasons Why We Love Aanand L Rai

Aanand L Rai, who turns 50 on June 28, has given us a brand of movies that we've come to enjoy.

He has, in fact, introduced the heartland of India to the audiences.

Joginder Tuteja looks at the film-maker's work over the years.

 

Strangers (2007)
Box office collection: Rs 45 lakh

Though Aanand is known for his emotional movies, he started his career with a thriller, Strangers.

Sadly, not many saw this Jimmy Sheirgill, Kay Kay Menon, Nandana Sen and Sonali Kulkarni film, which was produced by Raj Kundra.

The film may not have done well at the box office, but it did get good reviews.

 

Tanu Weds Manu (2011)
Box office collection: Rs 40 crore

Aanand's big break came with Tanu Weds Manu.

Despite a few casting and production hassles, Rai roped in R Madhavan, Jimmy Sheirgill and Kangana Ranaut.

The director brought a fresh narrative, which was loved by audiences.

 

Raanjhanaa (2013)
Box office collection: Rs 60 crore

Things got even better with Aanand's next film, Raanjhanaa.

Sonam Kapoor was his leading lady while Tamil star Dhanush made his debut in Hindi films.

Abhay Deol was seen in a new avatar and with chartbuster music by A R Rahman, Raanjhanaa proved to be a solid hit.

 

Tanu Weds Manu Returns (2015)
Box office collection: Rs 152 crore

Madhavan, Kangana and Jimmy reunited with Aanand for a sequel, which was bigger and better than the first.

Kangana, in a double role, showcased her acting abilities, and the film was a blockbuster.

 

Nil Battey Sannata (2015)
Box office collection: Rs 6 crore

Besides direction, Aanand has produced some beautiful films as well.

He started with Nil Battey Sannata, a beautiful film on a mother-daughter relationship. It was directed by Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari.

Unfortunately, the Swara Bhaskar and Pankaj Tripathi starrer did not score at the box office.

 

Happy Bhaag Jayegi (2016)
Box office collection: Rs 28.82 crore
Happy Phirr Bhag Jayegi (2018)
Box office collection: Rs 20.18 crore

Diana Penty and Abhay Deol led the show in Happy Bhag Jayegi while Sonakshi Sinha took centrestage in the second part.

Jimmy Sheirgill, always a hoot in Aanand's films, starred in both films.

While the first got good reviews, the second could not match up.

Both films were directed by Mudassar Aziz, and produced by Aanand.

Newton (2017)
Box office collection: Rs 22.80 crore

Directed by Amit V Masurkar and produced by Aanand, Newton was an offbeat film, which enjoyed a good run at the box office.

Starring Rajkummar Rao and Pankaj Tripathi, the film was made at a reasonable cost.

Newton picked up quite a few awards, including the National Award, and was also India's entry to the Oscars that year.

 

Shubh Mangal Saavdhan (2017)
Box office collection: Rs 43.11 crore
Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan (2020)
Box office collection: Rs 60.78 crore

Aanand scored with his production Shubh Mangal Savdhan where he backed a risky subject.

Ayushmann Khurranna and Bhumi Pednekar's endearing act made sure a film on erectile dysfunction worked well with family audiences too.

The second film in the franchise explored homosexuality, and collected more at the box office. Critically, though, it wasn't loved as much.

 

Mukkabaaz (2017)
Box office collection: Rs 10.51 crore
Manmarziyaan (2018)
Box office collection: Rs 27.09 crore

Producer Aanand L Rai and Director Anurag Kashyap came together for two films,Mukkabaaz and Manmarziyaan.

Though both film-makers bring small town stories, they have different styles of film-making.

While Mukkabaaz and Manmarziyaan did have their moments, neither set the screen on fire.

 

Zero (2018)
Box office collection: Rs 90 crore

Aanand's talent caught Shah Rukh Khan's attention and they got together to make Zero.

It was an ambitious idea with the superstar playing a midget.

The film also starred Anushka Sharma and Katrina Kaif.

But it was a weak film, and didn't make an impact at the box office.

 

Tumbbad (2018)
Box office collection: Rs 16 crore

One of the few horror films of note in India, Tumbbad did not have any star appeal and still, grew from strength to strength on the basis of word of mouth.

With Sohum Shah in the lead, the film started very slow but eventually turned into a plus affair.

 

Laal Kaptaan (2019)
Box office collection: Rs 2.36 crore

One of his most ambitious projects till date and also his biggest commercial disappointment, Laal Kaptaan was a dream that both Aanand L Rai and Director Navdeep Singh carried for years.

Saif Ali Khan came on board for this story set in the period era.

There were certain moments that impressed in this well shot film, but it was a box office disaster.