Most Expensive Bollywood Movies of all Time

 

1) Ra One (Rs.135 Cr or $27 million)

Starring superstars Shahrukh Khan and Kareena Kapoor, this is by far the most expensive Bollywood film till date.  It has been produced by Red Chillies Entertainment and cashed in over 150 crores. This science fiction film was released in 2011 and was well received for its technical aspects but not so much on the aspects of storyline and direction. 

 

 

2) Blue (Rs.120 Cr or $24 million)

This film was publicized as Bollywood’s first underwater, action adventure film.  Directed by Anthony D’Souza with Sanjay Dutt, Akshay Kumar, Zayed Khan and Lara Dutta in the lead roles, this film failed to make an impact on the box office earning only about 54 crores.  Written by American writers Joshua Lurie and Bryan M.Sullivan, this film is based around an underwater treasure.  Despite all this, the film was declared a flop.

 

 

3) Don 2 (Rs.70 Cr or $14 million)

Directed by Farhan Akhtar, the sequel to Don was one of the biggest hits of 2011. Starring Shahrukh Khan and Priyanka Chopra, Don 2 became the third highest grossing Bollywood film of all time with a worldwide collection of 228 crores.  Produced under Excel entertainment, the story picks up from where the first one ended, where Don now aims to capture and take over the European drug cartel. 

 

 

4) Ghajini (Rs.65 Cr or $13 million)

With Aamir Khan in the lead role, one wouldn’t expect anything less than a super hit. This film did not disappoint and was the first film to cross the 100 crore barrier at the time of its release in 2008, earning a whopping 190 crores. Starring Aamir Khan, Asin and Jiah Khan, Ghajini is a remake of the super successful Tamil film Ghajini. 

 

 

5) Bodyguard (Rs.64 Cr or 12.8 million)

What makes this film stand out above the rest is the fact that it went onto become the second highest grossing Bollywood film of all time despite many criticisms that the film lacked an actual storyline.  With stars like Salman Khan and Kareena Kapoor, it set another record as the highest opening day grosser of all time. Released in 2011, it has been estimated that the worldwide gross of the film was about 495 crore. Bodyguard is also the remake of a Tamil film, also directed by Siddique.

 

 

6) This position is actually shared by 3 films (Rs.60 Cr or $12 million):
A. Love Story 2050
B. Kambakht Ishq
C. Agneepath

Barring Agneepath, neither of the films had anything to offer except bad jokes, unnecessary skin-show and even more unusual costumes. Storyline-none to speak of.  Love story 2050 had expectations to be a sci-fi extravaganza but when it was released, most people found the robot QT more entertaining than Harman Baweja. It cashed in a mere Rs.15 crores whereas Kambakht Ishq and Agneepath did a business of Rs.80 crores and Rs.193 crores respectively.

 

 

7) The Hero-Love Story of a Spy (Rs.55 Cr or $11 million)

This Anil Sharma film was the most expensive film of its time.  Released in 2003, the film had Priyanka Chopra, Sunny Doel and Preity Zinta in the lead roles and did a decent amount of business. 

 

 

8) This position is also shared by two films (Rs.50 Cr or $10 million):
A. Devdas
B. Singh is Kinng

Both these films were declared hits at the box office due to very different reasons. Devdas was acknowledged for its magnificent costumes and larger than life sets and of course, for Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Madhuri Dixit. This was the third version of Devdas to be made in Bollywood.  Directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, the film won a huge number of accolades and was released in 6 different languages. Singh is Kinng on the other hand, won hearts all over the country due to the onscreen chemistry between the lead actors, Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif. The film, released in 2008, is a lighted hearted comedy which has been shot at exotic locations.

 

 

9) This position is also shared by two films (Rs.45 Cr or $9 million):
A. Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham
B. Krrish

With Karan Johar in charge of the film, one can expect nothing less than amazing designer clothes, a glittering star cast and exotic locations. Starring Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Shahrukh Khan, Kajol and Kareena Kapoor, this film was broke all International grossing records at that time, earning about 118 crores.  Krrish on the other hand, was a film from a completely different genre. A sequel to Koi Mil Gaya, this film was packed with awesome stunts and special effects. 

 

 

10) This position is also shared by two films ( Rs.40 Cr or $8 million):
A. Jodhaa Akbar
B. Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna

Both these films were produced under big banners-UTV Motion/Ashutosh Gowarikar and Dharma Productions/Yash Raj Films respectively.  Jodhaa Akbar instantly captured the hearts of Indian audiences everywhere due to its grandeur and accuracy to detail.  Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna is the highest grossing film of all time overseas. It revolves around adultery and extramarital affairs.