Vikramaditya Motwane Says Bhavesh Joshi Superhero Was Ignored In Theatres But Became A Cult Hit: 'No One Saw...'

News18

21-06-2025

Vikramaditya Motwane says Bhavesh Joshi Superhero flopped in theatres but became a cult favourite later. The film was inspired by his personal frustration.
Filmmaker Vikramaditya Motwane has opened up about the journey of his 2018 vigilante drama Bhavesh Joshi Superhero, acknowledging how the film, initially overlooked in cinemas, later found cult status among viewers and critics alike. In a candid interaction with IMDb, Motwane revisited the inspiration behind the Harshvardhan Kapoor-starrer, sharing how personal disillusionment and a passion for graphic novels shaped its core.
'Bhavesh Joshi Superhero came out of a place of great anger at the system," Motwane explained. 'The whole passport story in the film is actually something that happened to me, so that frustration also came out." The filmmaker added that this sense of real-life injustice, combined with his enduring love for superhero films and graphic novels, laid the foundation for what would become one of his most unconventional films. 'The original script was a lot angrier," he noted. 'It almost got made a couple of times but didn't, so I put it to bed for a while."
The project was revived when writer Abhay Koranne joined the picture. 'I made him read the script, he had ideas and he said, 'Why don't we revive this?'" Motwane recalled.
Despite the deeply personal and creatively rich groundwork, the film failed to make a splash at the box office upon release. 'When the film was released, no one went and saw it in theatres," Motwane said honestly. 'To see the love and passion for the film now is very very heartening. Thank you for the love given to Bhavesh Joshi Superhero."
Released in 2018, Bhavesh Joshi Superhero followed the journey of a young, idealistic man named Siku, played by Harshvardhan Kapoor, who transforms into a masked vigilante after the murder of his friend. Set against a corrupt and indifferent political system, the film charted Siku's evolution from a passive observer to an active crusader, wielding justice with raw conviction and homemade gadgets. Mixing stylized action sequences with a gritty, grounded narrative, the film tackled themes of civic apathy, moral courage, and the heavy cost of resistance. Though it struggled during its theatrical run, it later gained a loyal fanbase through streaming platforms, earning recognition as one of India's most unique takes on the superhero genre.
First Published: