The failure of Bollywood film about 12th century king.

It was a film that was expected to light up the box office.

For hundreds of years, Indians have been captivated by the story of Prithviraj Chauhan, a handsome king who stole a beautiful princess who had professed her love for him from right under her treacherous father’s nose and fought valiantly in sweeping battles involving elephants, horses, and larger-than-life men.

Chauhan, known as the “last great Hindu emperor,” ruled over present-day Rajasthan and Delhi in the 12th century. And the timeless love story of the king and his beautiful queen Sanyogita, as well as the battles he won – and eventually lost – against Muhammad of Ghor, are prominently featured in history textbooks.

Akshay Kumar, who plays the titular historical role in the film and is one of India’s most bankable actors with legions of fans at home and abroad, recently stated that playing the warrior king was “a matter of pride” for him and that if his mother had been alive, she would have been very proud of him as well.

But by the time I sat down in a Delhi cinema hall on Sunday to watch Samrat (emperor) Prithviraj, the much-hyped celluloid version, my expectations had already been tempered.

Tickets were plentiful just two days after the film’s release, and the auditorium was at least one-third empty. Reviewers panned the film, labelling it “soulless,” “tedious,” and “dreary.” Shubhra Gupta, film critic, described it as “simplistic, devoid of nuance, a loud and lurid film.”

According to reports, cinemas were cancelling shows due to a lack of ticket sales by Monday morning, and the film was deemed a spectacular failure.

So, what caused that?

From the start, Samrat Prithviraj was mired in controversy.

It had created a huge buzz on social media in the run-up to its release last Friday, with Kumar’s controversial comment that “history textbooks are filled with information on Mughal invaders, but have little on the glory and valour of Hindu kings such as Prithviraj Chauhan.”

Kumar has made headlines in recent years not only for his films but also for his growing proximity to the president.