Aamir Khan Productions has, over the years, built a reputation for backing films that are selective, content driven and often willing to take a chance on subjects that may not fit the conventional Bollywood formula. From Lagaan and Taare Zameen Par to Dangal, Secret Superstar, Laapataa Ladies and Sitaare Zameen Par, the banner has enjoyed several notable theatrical successes. However, 2026 has turned out to be a difficult year, with its last three theatrical releases, Happy Patel: Khatarnak Jasoos, Ek Din and Batwara 1947, struggling to make a significant impact at the box office.
It would be premature to call all three films flops because Batwara 1947 is still in theatres. But there is little doubt that Aamir Khan Productions is staring at three successive theatrical disappointments, something that stands out given the banner’s relatively small and carefully chosen filmography.
Happy Patel: Khatarnak Jasoos was the first setback. Starring Vir Das and directed by Vir Das along with Kavi Shastri, the film attempted a quirky spy comedy with an unconventional tone. However, the concept failed to translate into strong theatrical interest. The film opened weakly and eventually collected only around ₹5.52 crore net in India and ₹6.84 crore worldwide, according to Bollywood Hungama.
One possible reason was its limited appeal. The humour and sensibility were fairly urban and niche, while the film did not appear to offer the kind of strong theatrical hook that could bring audiences into cinemas beyond its core target group. The reviews also suggested that the film was trying to do too much at the same time. Aamir Khan Productions gave it a credible banner, but the name alone was not enough to create audience urgency.
The bigger disappointment followed with Ek Din. On paper, the film had several things going for it. It marked Sai Pallavi’s Hindi debut, paired her with Junaid Khan and came from Aamir Khan Productions. It also arrived at a time when romantic films were once again finding some traction with audiences. Yet the film opened to just around ₹90 lakh and ended with approximately ₹3.79 crore net in India, according to Bollywood Hungama.
Here again, the issue appears to have been less about the credentials of the people involved and more about the film’s ability to create excitement before release. The promotional campaign did not generate the kind of conversation that a new romantic pairing normally needs, while the film itself was deliberately restrained and old fashioned in its storytelling. Some reviews appreciated that quality, but others felt that the central relationship lacked the emotional spark needed to sustain a theatrical romance. In a market increasingly driven by strong first impressions and immediate audience interest, Ek Din struggled to make a compelling case for the cinema ticket.
Batwara 1947 is a different situation, although the early numbers are certainly worrying. The Sunny Deol and Preity Zinta starrer arrived during the Independence Day weekend, with Rajkumar Santoshi directing and Aamir Khan Productions backing the project. The film also had the obvious advantage of a Partition story, a major holiday and familiar names associated with a subject that carries considerable emotional weight.
Yet the opening was modest at around ₹5.75 crore. The holiday helped push the first weekend to approximately ₹26.50 crore, but the film then slowed sharply. By August 18, it had collected around ₹30 crore net in India. The Times of India has reported that this represented only about 24 per cent of the film’s reported production cost of approximately ₹125 crore. With Awarapan 2 also competing for the same audience and performing strongly, the film has found it difficult to build sustained momentum.
There may not be one common reason behind the three disappointments. In fact, that is what makes the situation more interesting. Happy Patel was an unconventional comedy that struggled to find a broad audience. Ek Din was a soft, understated romance that may not have generated enough urgency in theatres. Batwara 1947 has a much stronger star and subject combination, but has still struggled to convert its apparent strengths into footfalls.
The broader issue could therefore be one of positioning. Aamir Khan Productions has historically been willing to take creative risks, but the theatrical market has changed considerably. Audiences today often make a decision very quickly, especially in the opening weekend. A film needs to communicate a strong reason to watch it in theatres, whether through scale, emotion, star power, novelty or a combination of these elements.
That does not necessarily mean the films themselves are poor. In fact, some of these projects have found support from sections of the audience and critics for attempting something different. The problem is that appreciation does not automatically translate into box office business. The theatrical model ultimately depends on whether enough people are willing to buy a ticket, particularly in the crucial first few days.
For Aamir Khan Productions, this is an unusual phase rather than something that erases the banner’s larger track record. The production house has delivered films that were both creatively ambitious and commercially successful, often with controlled budgets and strong word-of-mouth. But the 2026 experience suggests that the Aamir Khan name and the reputation of the banner are no longer enough on their own to guarantee theatrical traction.
The biggest question, therefore, may not be whether Aamir Khan Productions should continue taking risks. That has always been part of its identity. The question is whether those risks are being packaged and positioned in a way that gives today’s theatrical audience a clear reason to choose them over everything else playing at the same time.
Batwara 1947 still has some time to recover and its final verdict should wait until its theatrical run is over. But with Happy Patel and Ek Din already having failed to make an impact, Aamir Khan Productions has certainly encountered a rare stretch of box office resistance. For a banner built around careful selection, that makes its next few choices particularly important.