The most expensive Indian films ever made
Enthiran 2.0, the sequel to the 2010 blockbuster starring superstar Rajnikanth, has just recently gone on floors. At Rs 350 crores, the film is the most expensive Indian film ever to be made.
When it comes to budgets, our films are getting bigger and grander. While big budget magnum opus productions may not necessary mean instant success, they do manage to have a head start when it comes to spending on production value, stars and marketing.
Here we take a look at the most expensive Indian films ever to be made:
Baahubali: Starring Prabhas and directed by SS Rajamouli, this mammoth of a production cost a whopping Rs 250 crores, and is part of a two part period action. The first installment was released in theatres on 10, July, this year and was simultaneously made in Tamil and Telugu, while being dubbed in Malayalam and Hindi. A total of three years went into the making of this film, with around 800 technicians working on it. Baahubali broke the glass ceiling by being the first South Indian film to enter the Rs 300 crore group and grossed Rs 600 crores in India and overseas.
Enthiran: Director Shankar is known for his grand productions, and with Enthiran, he went all out, creating a mammoth film costing an eye popping Rs 132 crores, in 2010. The science fiction, which was released in three languages – Tamil, Hindi and and Telugu, starring super star Rajnikanth and Aishwarya Rai, was shot in exotic locations such as Machu Picchu and Brazil. Around Rs 20 crores was spent on the visual effects, alone.
Dhoom 3: Made with a budget of Rs 125 crores, the 2013 action film was the most expensive film ever made, until it got beaten by Baahubali. It was also the first film to be released in the IMAX motion picture format, and with Dolby Atmos surround sound. The film starred the original cast of Abhishek Bachchan and Uday Chopra, along with Aamir Khan and Katrina Kaif. The total box office collections worldwide for the film was Rs 548 crores.
Bajirao Mastani: Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s epic historical drama, Bajirao Mastani, featuring Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone and Priyanka Chopra was made on a budget of Rs 120 crores. While the film had initially been announced in 2003, with Aishwarya Rai and Salman Khan as the lead pair, it became a reality only 15 years later. The film, which released on December 18, clashed with Rohit Shetty’s much hyped, Shahrukh Khan-Kajol starrer Dilwale, but garnered positive response. The film collected a total of Rs 90.80 crores in its opening weekend, worldwide.
Bang Bang: Fox Studios produced the film, a remake of the Tom Cruise Camaron Diaz starrer, Knight and Day, for a huge sum of Rs 140 crores (including promotions). Hollywood action director, Andy Armstrong, of the Amazing Spiderman 2 fame, was roped in for the brilliant, never seen before stunt sequences. The film was shot in a number of countries, including Greece, US, Thailand, the Czech republic, among others. The lead pair of Hrithik Roshan and Katrina Kaif, who are also two of the highest paid actors in Bollywood, added to the budget. The film collected Rs 340 crores worldwide.
Ra.One: The 2011 science fiction super hero film, starring Shahrukh Khan and Kareena Kapoor, was Khan’s most ambitious film ever. Made on a budget of Rs 130 crores, including publicity, the film had 3D conversion and visual effects, which were considered to be a breakthrough for Indian cinema. While the film was praised for its visuals and music, it failed to do well with the critics and faced allegations of plagiarism. Screen writer Yash Patnaik moved the Bombay High Court to stay the film’s release, stating that it was similar to a concept he had written a few years ago.
Kick: Directed by Sajid Nadiadwala, the Salman Khan - Jacqueline Fernandez starrer, was made on a budget of Rs 120 crores. The film was the official remake of the 2009 Telugu movie, of the same name. The film released in July 2014, in around 5,000 screens, worldwide and was shot in Poland, India and Scotland. Kick became Khan’s first film to enter the Rs 200 crore mark, earning a total of Rs 385 crores, worldwide.
Kochadaiiyaan: If there is Rajnikanth, the film has to be larger than life. The Tamil historical feature film, starring Deepika Padukone and Rajnikanth, and directed by the superstar’s daughter, Soundarya R Ashwin, was India’s first photorealistic motion capture film. The film was made on a budget of Rs 125 crores, and released in May, 2014 in Tamil and five other languages. The Tamil version was narrated by A.R Rahman, while Amitabh Bachchan narrated the Hindi version.
Mughal-E-Azam: The epic period drama, which captured hearts and imaginations in 1960, when it was released, was made in Rs 1.5 crores - a paltry sum if you were to look at it today, but at that point, it was the most expensive film ever made, and remained so for a long time. Starring Dillip Kumar, Prithviraj Kapoor and Madhubala, the film was grand on all scales - with extravagant sets, 2000 camels, 4000 horses and 8000 extras in a war scene, and took years to complete.
