‘Very good film’ rejected by OTT giants: Viewers hail Bhumi Pednekar-Arjun Kapoor’s thriller after YouTube release

Made on a budget of ₹45 crore, Bhumi Pednekar-Arjun Kapoor's Bollywood thriller ‘The Lady Killer’ has been dubbed as Indian cinema's biggest flop as it bore 99.99% loss to earn a meagre ₹60,000. The 2023 film from Ajay Bahl sold just 293 tickets across India on its opening day and was even rejected by OTT platforms for digital streaming.

Produced by Bhushan Kumar under his T-Series banner, the film had reportedly secured streaming release with OTT giant Netflix, who had later backed out due to its box office failure and bad press claiming that the movie's theatrical release was just a token release, with the climax not fully shot.

Eventually, after rejection, The Lady Killer was released for free on YouTube in September 2024.

The film garnered over 2.6 million views on YouTube in nearly a month. The viewers were impressed, saying that “the film is actually good” and praised both Bhumi Pednekar and Arjun Kapoor for their performance in the film.

Netizens' reactions

“It's a good one, c'mon guys he (Arjun Kapoor) did a great job I know he gave so many flops, but this one deserves appreciation,” a viewer commented.

Another viewer asked, “Is it just me who liked this movie? Thought it was a good one.”

“This movie was so good!,” said a viewer, while another added, “It also answered everything, the acting was greaaaat. (Not a fan of arjun kapoor at all, but this one was actually greaaat!)”

“What's wrong with y'all?” asked a viewer, while one viewer said, “People who judge before knowing the truth are at loss, the film is actually good.”

“It's really a very good film , I don't know why people are reacting like this on this movie. If you understand movie details, you'll notice how well this was directed. No jokes, just my honest review. Arjun and Bhumi did a great job,” said another viewer.

“This movie was way better than most Bollywood mainstream movies,” exclaimed another.

“Idk why everyone is joining the troll bandwagon. Genuinely a good thriller movie although the producers messed it up with releasing trailer too late and no PR at all,” another quipped.