When Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan’s Big-Budget Film Sank at the Box Office

Bollywood’s star couple Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan have acted together in several films, both before and after their marriage. While their on-screen chemistry has often won over fans, not every project has been a success. One such example is the 2006 film Umrao Jaan, which turned out to be a major flop at the box office and failed to recover even half of its production cost.

Rs 23 Crore Production

In 1981, legendary actress Rekha worked in a film titled Umrao Jaan on the big screen. Twenty-five years later, in 2006, a film was again made with the same name. This time, Aishwarya Rai considered one of the most beautiful actresses in the history of Hindi cinema played the lead role. It was directed by J. P. Dutta. Opposite her was Abhishek Bachchan. Released in theatres on 3 November 2006, the film had a budget of Rs 23 crore.

Box Office Losses

Along with Abhishek and Aishwarya, well-known artists such as Shabana Azmi, Suniel Shetty, Ayesha Jhulka, Divya Dutta, and Kulbhushan Kharbanda also acted in Umrao Jaan. At the Indian box office, this 19-year-old picture could earn only ₹7.42 crore, which is not even half of its budget. By this measure, Umrao Jaan was badly beaten at the box office.

Aishwarya and Abhishek’s On-Screen Pairings

Apart from Umrao Jaan, Abhishek and Aishwarya have also worked in films like Guru, Dhai Akshar Prem Ke, Kuch Na Kaho, Bunty Aur Babli, Dhoom 2, Sarkar Raj and Raavan. The two were last seen together in Raavan (2010).