Aanand
L
Rai
is
rethinking
Zero
after
the
film
underperformed
and
faced
sharp
box
office
rejection.
Speaking
after
the
lukewarm
response
to
Tere
Ishk
Mein,
the
director
admitted
misreading
what
audiences
expected
from
Shah
Rukh
Khan.
Rai
said
he
did
not
grasp
how
strongly
Shah
Rukh
Khan’s
on-screen
image
shaped
viewer
expectations.
Rai
shared
his
thoughts
on
Zero’s
failure
during
a
chat
with
Galatta
Plus.
The
film
starred
Shah
Rukh
Khan,
Katrina
Kaif
and
Anushka
Sharma
in
lead
roles.
While
reflecting
on
their
collaboration,
Aanand
L
Rai
said,
“The
problem
with
Zero
was
that
the
superstar
came
to
me
with
so
much
love,
but
I
never
understood
that
his
image
had
to
be
part
of
the
film.
I
was
working
with
an
actor,
a
big
actor,
but
I
realised
later
that
I
needed
to
take
care
of
that
image.”
Aanand
L
Rai
Shah
Rukh
Khan
Zero
failure
and
missed
use
of
stardom
image
The
director
admitted
that
he
struggled
to
match
Shah
Rukh
Khan’s
star
aura
with
the
scripted
role.
Aanand
L
Rai
also
mentioned
that
he
couldn’t
achieve
the
blend
of
character
and
stardom
on
the
screen.
The
Tanu
Weds
Manu
filmmaker
further
explained,
“Maybe
I
am
unable
to
incorporate
that
stardom
into
my
characters.
I
was
floating;
my
bearings
were
not
there.”
Aanand
L
Rai
Zero
failure
reflection
with
Shah
Rukh
Khan
and
creative
journey
Rai
described
the
Zero
shoot
as
a
joyful
process
that
may
have
clouded
judgement
for
both.
The
filmmaker
also
showered
love
on
Shah
Rukh
Khan
and
revealed
that
he
enjoyed
filming
Zero
more
than
himself.
Aanand
L
Rai
stated,
“I
was
enjoying
the
journey,
and
more
than
me,
Shah
Rukh
was.
That
became
scary
later
because
one
of
us
should
have
stopped
and
said,
‘There
is
a
star.’ He
never
brought
it
up,
and
I
never
understood
it.
Maybe
things
would
have
been
different.”
Zero
released
in
2018
and
featured
Shah
Rukh
Khan
in
a
challenging
role
that
divided
audiences.
Despite
the
star-heavy
cast,
the
film
was
labelled
a
disaster
at
the
box
office.
Years
later,
Rai
returned
with
Tere
Ishk
Mein,
an
intense
love
story
starring
Dhanush
and
Kriti
Sanon.
The
film,
a
spiritual
sequel
to
Raanjhanaa,
saw
only
a
lukewarm
response
from
viewers.
Talking
about
Aanand
L
Rai’s
wider
work,
the
director
has
also
made
Tanu
Weds
Manu,
Tanu
Weds
Manu
Returns
and
Atrangi
Re.
Rai’s
comments
on
Zero
show
how
strongly
he
now
values
the
balance
between
star
image
and
character.
The
experience
appears
to
have
shaped
how
Rai
publicly
assesses
his
creative
choices
and
collaborations.