In the last 20 years only two actor-turned-directors proved their mettle at the box office. Where will Kunal Kemmu’s Madgaon Express stand?

Kunal Kemmu and his directorial debut, Madgaon Express, are making all the right kinds of noises. The film is being loved by the audiences and is maintaining a steady pace at the box office. It has collected 14.86 crore at the box office despite battling Ajay Devgn’s Shaitaan. Now, the comedy film featuring a trio will have tough competition with another comedy trio since Crew arrived, featuring Kareena Kapoor Khan, Tabu, and Kriti Sanon.

 

 
Will Kunal Kemmu Join The League Of Hit Actor Turned Directors With Madgaon Express Box Office?(Photo Credit –Instagram)
Kunal has been relevant in the industry since a long. He made his debut as a child artist and was seen in films like Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke, Raja Hindustani, Zakhm, and Bhai.

Interestingly, while Kunal has worked with Aamir Khan in many of his films as a child actor, he has followed the footsteps of the superstar who turned into a director. However, becoming an actor-turned-director is not a very profitable journey these days.

There have been many times when actors turned directors and made a more successful career. At the same time, others had a rough run with their films. Raj Kapoor and Rakesh Roshan might probably be the most successful actors turned directors, but it is very tough to churn out the statistics and figures from those times.

From the last generation, it has been Sunny Deol, who made his directorial debut with Dillagi in 1999, but the film tanked at the box office. It also starred Bobby Deol in the lead.

Most Successful Actor Turned Director
If we talk in terms of profit, then in the last 20 years, it has been Aamir Khan, who churned out an unimaginable 420% profit at the box office with his directorial debut, Taare Zameen Par, in 2007. The film starring Darsheel Safari was made on a budget of 12 crore and earned 62.50 crore at the box office. In terms of the highest box office collection, Arbaaz Khan directed Dabangg 2 in 2010, which collected 158.50 crore at the box office.

Continuous Failed Efforts
Another actor who continuously made an effort to sustain as a director but could not was Ajay Devgn and Sunny Deol. Ajay made his debut with U, Me Aur Hum in 2004, and tanked. He came back with Shivaay, which could not earn a hit tag, and he arrived yet again with Runway 34, which was again a flop. Sunny Deol, after his flop directorial debut in 1999, came back in 2016 with Ghayal: Once Again and Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas in 2018, but both films tanked.

Here is a list of actor-turned-directors and their debut films in the last 20 years and their verdicts at the box office.

2004: Ajay Devgn – U, Me Aur Hum | 25 crore | Flop
2004: Pooja Bhatt – Paap | 2.40 crore | Flop

2007: Aamir Khan – Taare Zameen Par | 62.50 crore | Blockbuster
2010: Arbaaz Khan – Dabangg | 158.50 crore | Super Hit
2016: Konkona Sen Sharma – Death In The Gunj | 1 crore | Flop
2019: Kangana Ranaut – Manikarnika | 94.92 crore | Losing
2022: R Madhavan – Rocketry: The Nambi Effect | 34.40 crore
Note: Box office numbers are based on estimates and various sources. Numbers have not been independently verified by Koimoi.

Check out the box office collections and verdicts of 2023 here.