Pratik Gandhi reveals difficult journey of Gujarati cinema’s first-ever Rs 100 crore blockbuster: ‘Director was a clapper for years, took money from friends’

2025 was a darkly disappointing year for cinema, both in terms of quality and box office returns. While several big-budget films failed to make an impact, a small Gujarati film, Laalo – Krishna Sada Sahaayate, produced on a modest budget of Rs 50 lakhs, went on to make history at the box office. The film earned Rs 120.58 crore worldwide, becoming the first Gujarati film ever to cross the 100 crore mark at the ticket window. However, the journey of Laalo to this milestone was far from smooth. Recently, actor Pratik Gandhi, while lauding the film, opened up about how it was made entirely by first-timers who had no idea if it would even see the light of day, let alone become a hit.

During a conversation with We Are Yuvaa, Pratik said, “I’m just talking about a Gujarati film recently. It is the first ever Gujarati film to cross 100 crores, Laalo. The director is a first time director, who has been a clapper boy for many years.” He also spoke about the challenges of financing the film: “They had no idea whether the film would be made or not. Half of the film was made, then they took money from friends.”

Poster of Laalo – Krishna Sada Sahaayate

Praising the team’s confidence, Pratik added, “The whole team, the confidence I saw in them, that actually made me think, that we keep thinking in every small thing, that will it happen or not.” In the same conversation, he revealed that the film did not become an instant success: “After it was made, they didn’t know whether it would be released or not. Earlier, the film was not able to do anything for 3, 4, 5, 6 weeks. They were not even getting a show. In the end, there were 3 shows left and suddenly the film picked up.”

Laalo is a character-driven drama about a rickshaw driver trapped in a farmhouse, confronting his past demons while experiencing visions of Lord Krishna, who guides him through a transformative journey of self-discovery and healing. Its success has now led to a Hindi dubbed release scheduled for January 9. According to industry tracker Sacnilk, the film has grossed Rs 95.57 crore in net collections in India, with a gross that stood at Rs 113.08 crore.