Bollywood's 2002 'Barbenheimer': Three Bhagat Singh Films Clashed at Box Office

• In 2002, three films based on revolutionary Bhagat Singh were released within a week: "Shaheed-E-Azam" (Sonu Sood), "The Legend of Bhagat Singh" (Ajay Devgn), and "23rd March 1931: Shaheed" (Deol brothers).
• "The Legend of Bhagat Singh," directed by Rajkumar Santoshi and starring Ajay Devgn, received critical acclaim, commercial success, and a National Award for Best Actor for Devgn.
• "23rd March 1931: Shaheed," starring Bobby Deol as Bhagat Singh and Sunny Deol as Chandrashekhar Azad, failed due to unfavorable comparisons with Devgn's film, impacting the Deol brothers' careers.
• Sonu Sood's "Shaheed-E-Azam" was largely overlooked due to its modest budget and limited release, despite praise for his performance.
• After years of struggle, the Deol brothers made a significant comeback in 2024-25, with Sunny Deol's "Gadar 2" and Bobby Deol's "Animal" achieving success.

Why It Matters: The 2002 clash of three Bhagat Singh films highlighted content and emotional depth as key to success.