New Delhi: It has been over nine months since ‘Laalo -Krishna Sada Sahaayate’ released and scripted history by becoming the first film in Gujarati to cross over Rs 120 crore at the box office, but director Ankit Sakhiya says he is still processing all the love that has come their way.
"It has been nine months (since it was released), but the film continues to get so much love. It is streaming on SonyLiv and I keep getting messages and calls even now. To be honest, I am still processing and trying to absorb all this love," Sakhiya told PTI in an interview.
"The idea was to make a good film and take it to people, but I never thought that it would become such a massive hit. This is beyond my imagination."
Sakhiya's film, made on a shoestring budget and with the help of a group of friends, released in theatres in October 2025.
The movie earned a few lakhs in the first 22 days, but a strong word of mouth helped build its momentum at the box office. On its 23rd day, the movie made ₹1 crore and then there was no looking back. According to trade tracking website Sacnilk, the worldwide gross of ‘Laalo’ stands at ₹122 crore.
Sakhiya said the film's success has made him realise the power stories have, especially ones that are true to their roots.
"I feel that in Gujarati cinema, people prefer to watch local stories. Earlier, not many would see local films. But now people want to see stories that represent them. I feel regional stories will do better in the future because people want to see themselves represented on the screen," he added.
The Hindi dubbed version of the film released in theatres on January 9.
Featuring Karan Joshi as Lalji Dhansukh Parmar, Reeva Rachh as Tulsi, and Shruhad Goswami as Lord Krishna, the film revolves around a struggling auto-rickshaw driver who, burdened by poverty and addiction, chases quick money and gets trapped in a remote farmhouse. In isolation, he is haunted by past regrets and guilt but finds redemption through guiding visions of Lord Krishna.
Sakhiya, who studied engineering while nurturing his directorial dreams, said the film was a huge experiment for them.
"We wanted to make a movie with a small budget. I had written two-three scripts but somehow no one wanted to gamble on a relatively new director. But, we were adamant that we will make a movie with whatever resources we have," he said.
Sakhiya said he wanted to be a filmmaker since childhood.
"I still cannot explain why I wanted to make movies because there was no one around me with a film background, but this desire was always there. In college, I kept learning everything about the craft and after finishing my engineering, I devoted myself to movie making. I initially started as an assistant director, edited music videos and shows before taking the plunge into direction."
Asked what kind of genres he wants to explore after the success of ‘Laalo’, Sakhiya said he has been writing and will soon come up with a new story.
