From ‘Dangal’ to ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’: Bollywood blockbusters that earned over 10× their budget at the box office

Salman Khan's Bajrangi Bhaijaan quietly went past 900 crores valiantly surpassing its original budget of public reaction towards its sentimental value in regards to togetherness versus how it was to be treated as a classic action sort of entertainer. Such stories concerning humanity and emotion served acknowledgement, but discourse in film was less compelling just for commentary without having substantial basis in circumstance, intention, and truth.

Aamir Khan's Dangal, although made on a budget of fewer than 75 crores, pulled an astounding amount of 2000 crore from around the world at the box office. Dangal spawned an inspiring sports drama based on the Phogat sisters which became the all time biggest global hit made in and from India, embodying the highest quality in storytelling, sincerity, and an astonishing box office success.

‘Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!’ is a family drama starring Salman Khan and Madhuri Dixit that was produced on a budget of just ₹6 crore but managed to get a worldwide gross of over ₹100 crore, which was a massive accomplishment at the time. The movie redefined family entertainment in the 90s, set industry records that stood for decades, and truly solidified its legacy in the history of Indian cinema.

Vidya Balan’s film, ‘Kahaani’, was produced with a tight budget of just ₹8 crore, and generated revenue of approximately ₹80 crore at the box office, making it a global sensation. The movie had an engaging storyline, nail-biting suspense, and a strong female lead who became a symbol of success and status, which helped propel Vidya Balan into becoming one of the greatest actresses of her generation.

Sooraj Barjatya’s loved film, ‘Maine Pyar Kiya’, packaged with a budget of only ₹2 crore, had revenue of more than ₹20 crore during a time when tickets cost only a few rupees. The staggering ten-fold return made it one of the biggest success stories of early Bollywood in terms of revenues generated and instant stardom behavior for Salman Khan.

‘Stree’ is another film produced on an early budget of under ₹25 crore, and it produced revenues of over ₹180 crore. Its absurd mixture of horror and comedy successfully balanced the taste of modern-day audiences, making it one of the most profitable and notable films of recent years, and redefined the horror-comedy sub-sector of Bollywood films.

The Kashmir Files was cynically intended to expand upon its 15 crore budget film socially commentarily; however, boasted 300+ crores at the box office. This was especially remarkable based on real life circumstances depicted through films for the visual element and information based on images in a cinematic way. The talking point around this film had added to the shock and grand from the emotions created by those visuals to be to its relative gains to profitability and controversy of possibly be the most profitable and discussed films of this generation.