R Madhavan and Fatima Sana Shaikh’s Netflix film Aap Jaisa Koi sparked controversy soon after its release, but controversy alone doesn’t always convert into massive viewership.
The film invited criticism for normalising adultery and portraying an affair in a romanticised light, and was grilled across social media. Many viewers expressed discomfort with the plot and questioned the message it tried to send.
Despite that, Aap Jaisa Koi managed to grab some attention, though not enough to call it a hit.
According to Netflix’s weekly global charts, the film ended up as the fourth most-watched non-English film last week. It clocked in around 3.4 million views during its debut week. That may sound decent, but in Netflix terms, it’s quite middle-of-the-road. Especially when compared to other Indian films like Dhoom Dhaam or Amar Singh Chamkila, which dominated the same charts during their time.
The watch hours too weren’t particularly impressive which means that while people may have clicked on the film out of curiosity, not everyone stayed till the end.
It’s clear that Aap Jaisa Koi stirred the pot, but it didn’t quite ride that wave to Netflix stardom. Instead, it sits somewhere in the middle, not a flop, but definitely not a breakout success either.
Sometimes, even with controversy in its corner, a film needs more than just noise to truly make a mark.