Vikram Bhatt’s ‘1920’: The Horror Film That Revived His Career
Bollywood filmmaker Vikram Bhatt is known for his expertise in the horror genre, but there was a time when his career was struggling. After multiple flop films, he found himself abandoned by friends and industry insiders. It was during this dark phase that he decided to make ‘1920’, a supernatural horror film that later became a cult classic.
Even His Lightman Questioned the Film
While recalling his journey in a conversation on Bharti Singh and Haarsh Limbachiyaa’s YouTube channel, Vikram Bhatt shared:
✅ After a series of flops, people in the industry stopped taking his calls.
✅ He decided to make ‘1920’ despite no studio wanting to buy it.
✅ Even his lightman doubted the film, asking, “Sir, yeh kaisi film bana rahe ho?” (What kind of film is this?)
✅ Bhatt was determined to prove himself and went ahead with the project.
No One Wanted to Buy ‘1920’
Vikram Bhatt struggled to find a distributor for the film. He conducted 35 trial screenings, yet no one agreed to buy it. But he believed in his vision, knowing that the film would eventually find its audience.
Father’s Call That Changed Everything
On the release day of ‘1920’ (2008), Vikram Bhatt was anxious. His father called him and asked if he had an FM radio. When Bhatt said no, his father instructed him to listen to Radio Mirchi in his car. The radio station had a system where audiences would say "Mirchi" if they liked the film and "Tomato" if they didn’t. To his surprise, callers kept saying "Mirchi", indicating a positive response from the audience.
Box Office Success Against All Odds
⭐ Cast: Adah Sharma, Rajneesh Duggal, Indraneil Sengupta, Vipin Sharma, Amin Haji
⭐ Budget: ₹7 crore
⭐ Box Office Collection: ₹14.5 crore (double the budget)
After a series of failures, ‘1920’ proved to be a turning point in Vikram Bhatt’s career. The film, with its chilling atmosphere and terrifying climax, left audiences scared and revived the horror genre in Bollywood. It also paved the way for future installments, making ‘1920’ a successful horror franchise.
