Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], December 31 (ANI): From fans to critics, almost everyone heaped praises on filmmaker Kabir Khan's latest sports drama '83'. However, the positive word of mouth did not help the big-budget film to soar at the box office.

In a recent interview with ANI, Kabir opened up about the film's box office performance, saying his focus is on people's appreciation rather than collections.

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"We have accepted the fact that box-office will get affected badly in the pandemic. Theatres are closed in many areas, night shows are not happening...then eventually all these factors will affect the box-office performance. Right now, our focus is on counting love and blessings. There's no point getting upset about it. The film is getting tremendous appreciation and it will continue to get appreciation even when it comes on television or OTT. Whoever has watched this film did not come disappointed and that's what defines the real success of any film," he said.

Kabir also reacted to the Delhi government's decision to close theatres in the wake of a spike in COVID-19 cases.

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"We all have waited long for '83'. The film suffered many delays due to lockdowns but seeing people's love I can proudly say that the wait was worth it. However, the struggle is on as theatres are now closed in Delhi. Delhi is one of the major markets for the film industry," he expressed.

'83', which celebrates India's first Cricket World Cup win in 1983, was released in theatres on December 24, 2021.

The film stars Ranveer Singh, Harrdy Sandhu, Tahir Raj Bhasin, Saqib Saleem, Ammy Virk, Deepika Padukone, and Pankaj Tripathi among others. (ANI)

(The above story is verified and authored by ANI staff, ANI is South Asia's leading multimedia news agency with over 100 bureaus in India, South Asia and across the globe. ANI brings the latest news on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Sports, Health, Fitness, Entertainment, & News. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)