Ratan Tata's only “failed” venture was in Bollywood, he teamed up with Amitabh Bachchan but couldn't avoid a flop | Bollywood

Ratan Tata and the Tata Group were present in many areas in India. His conglomerate had a presence in everything from aviation to steel to food. But the only passion of Indians – cinema – remained outside Tata's purview for a long time. And it took an Amitabh Bachchan film to change that. Ratan Tata actually came to Bollywood, albeit for a short while. But in contrast to his other ventures, this one was unfortunately not successful. (Also read: Diljit Dosanjh interrupts the Germany concert to pay tribute to Ratan Tata on stage)

The only film Ratan Tata produced

In 2004, Ratan Tata made his foray into filmmaking as a financier. He co-produced Vikram Bhatt's romantic thriller Aetbaar, starring Amitabh Bachchan, John Abraham and Bipasha Basu. The film, an adaptation of the 1996 Hollywood thriller Fear, was produced under the Tata BSS banner. The film dealt with themes of obsession and family relationships and explored the dark side of romantic fixation.

But despite a promising star cast and great buzz surrounding its release, “Aetbaar” failed to do wonders at the box office. Made with a budget of ₹9.5 crore, Aetbaar gained in the opening week itself and earned less ₹5 crore. His lifetime worldwide transport performance was just ₹8 crore, meaning Tata had to bear some of the losses.

“Aetbaar” also failed to impress the critics, with many criticizing the film for its cheesy dialogue and hackneyed themes. The film tried to capitalize on the chemistry between John Abraham and Bipasha Basu, who had recently starred in Jism, but failed here too. This was to be Ratan Tata's only film as a producer.

Ratan Tata's death

Ratan Tata, who was chairman of the Tata Group for more than two decades, breathed his last at 11.30 pm on Wednesday at Breach Candy Hospital in south Mumbai. Tata, a Padma Vibhushan recipient, was in the intensive care unit of the hospital since Monday.