Filmmaker Nikkhil Advani says he made a good film in Vedaa, featuring John Abraham and Sharvari, but should have avoided the box office clash with horror comedy Stree 2. The Independence Day week this year saw the release of three major Bollywood releases in Stree 2, a horror comedy starring Rajkummar Rao and Shraddha Kapoor, Akshay Kumar’s comedy Khel Khel Mein, and Vedaa.

“Vedaa released on August 15 and it hit us out, it gobbled us up. Four days later, somebody asked, ‘What I could’ve changed about Vedaa? I said, ‘I could’ve just changed that Stree 2 was not a good film’.

"I think I made a good film, my job is to tell the story that people have entrusted me to tell, as well as possible,” Nikkhil told PTI during the promotions of his upcoming series, Freedom at Midnight.

Asked if he regrets releasing Vedaa on the same day as Stree 2 and Khel Khel Mein, the filmmaker said light-hearted films appeal to audiences in a post pandemic world.

“We made a very good film. It has certain things that make eyes wide open. People are saying in the second half there’s action, otherwise, it would’ve been an independent film about Dalit atrocities and rights. Stree 2 came, and it was incredible. I feel post lockdown and pandemic, the audience wants to be free, they want to enjoy freely,” Nikkhil said.

Vedaa made ₹26.75 crore at the box office while Stree 2 earned nearly 600 in India.