'Laalo' director Ankit Sakhiya on massive success; 'Actual Krishna is the audience' ahead of its Hindi release

'Laalo – Krishna Sada Sahaayate' had a journey that even the team did not expect. Director Ankit Sakhiya calls it nothing less than a miracle. The film released during Diwali last year and started very slowly. Very few people watched it in the beginning. Still, the film slowly grew bigger each day. Talking about this, Ankit Sakhiya told Bollywood Hungama, “It is like a miracle in true sense. From very few people watching it to reaching this far. A lot of people ask, ‘What can Krishna do?’ I feel, ‘This is what Krishna can do’.”Sakhiya feels the film’s success did not come from promotions or hype. It came from people who truly loved the film. Ankit clearly said, “But the actual Krishna is the audience, who saw the film and made it this big.”The director was not surprised by the slow opening. He already knew this would happen. Ankit explained it very simply. “I knew the film wasn’t going to do well for one week,” he said. “That was clear because it was Diwali time. It’s a Gujarati film, so it was not going to take a bumper opening.”Two big Hindi films had released around the same time. Their promotions were loud and everywhere. Laalo was a low-budget film. Still, Sakhiya felt shows were important. “But it was important for us to get a good amount of shows,” he shared. Once people started watching it, things changed fast.The film picked up only because people spoke about it. Sakhiya said, “Those who saw the film told another 50-100 people that you have to see this film compulsorily.” Social media reviews were also very kind. He added, “The reviews were very positive on social media. This created a sudden boom and it picked up.”This strong word of mouth helped the film touch Rs 100 crores. Now, Laalo – Krishna Sada Sahaayate is ready for its Hindi release on January 9, 2026. The director is happy with the response to the trailer. In a recent interview with ETimes, Ankit said, “As for the hindi release, I love the way the hindi trailer is being received, so many people are excited to watch it in theatres and all I hope for the film is that it receives as much love from Hindi audiences as it did from the Gujarati ones.”The film stars Reeva Rachh, Shruhad Goswami, Karan Joshi, Mishty Kadecha and Anshu Joshi.