Filmmaker Mudassar Aziz is happy with the audience and critics’ response to his film Khel Khel Mein (KKM). Despite its release alongside two major films — Stree 2 and Vedaa — KKM has soldiered on after underperforming initially.

“My opinion would obviously be one of emotional attachment with KKM. I will take an objective standpoint and say films like Kantara (2022) and Pushpa: The Rise (2021), when they started out, did box-office numbers across a stretch of a number of days,” says Aziz, contrasting this with films that performed well on OTT platforms and then continued to succeed in theatres, such as Laapataa Ladies. “When I see theatrical business, I see that there has been a change,” he adds.

The 41-year-old says he would be “dishonest” if he says KKM’s box-office performance doesn’t affect him, but he has found a bright side to look on. “It would be wrong to say it doesn’t shake you in the beginning,” he admits, adding, “Numbers can be governed by several factors. In some cases in the past, you will realize that some films have ended up getting a great weekend, maybe only because of one song, and then the film has found no legs. In another case, you may find that a film has got a great opening weekend because of a controversy. So, in this ever-changing dynamic of how films at the box office are faring, if the mettle of the film gets accepted, you find your way around that.”