Journalism of Courage
Baahubali (2015) - Rs 250.00 crore (US$40 million)
SS Rajamouli's 'Baahubali', which hits theatres today (July 10), is the most expensive film made in India. Starring south actors Prabhas and Rana Daggubati in lead roles, the film is said to be the most expensive Indian film ever made with major attention to effects, promising to be a cinematic visual delight.
RA.One (20011) - Rs 125 crore (US$20 million)
Shah Rukh Khan, Kareena Kapoor starrer 'RA.One' is the most expensive Bollywood movie until now. The movie made at a budget of Rs. 125 crore used special VFX and special effects. During the post production of the movie the 3-D conversion and visual effects were added to film. The movie also suffered a delay in release due to the lengthy post production phase.
Dhoom 3 (2013) - Rs 125 crore (US$20 million)
Directed by Vijay Krishna Acharya, 'Dhoom 3' featured Aamir Khan as the antagonist paired opposite Katrina Kaif. Abhishek Bachchan and Uday Chopra were also a part of the movie. It was the first Bollywood movie to release in the IMAX motion picture film format with Dolby Atmos sound. The movie made at a budget of Rs. 125 crore was one of the biggest hits of 2013.
Kochadaiiyaan (2014) - 125 crore (US$20 million)
Rajinikanth and Deepika padukone starrer 'Kochadaiiyaan' was a film made in 3D. The movie, which was the directorial debut of Rajinikanth's younger daughter Soundarya, was a motion capture computer adult animated adventure historical fiction-action film. The movie was released in Tamil and Hindi. The narration of the Tamil film was done by Oscar winning AR Rahman, while Amitabh Bachchan was the narrator in the Hindi version.
Puli (2015- yet to release) - 118 crore (US$19 million)
The upcoming Tamil movie 'Puli' starring Sri Devi as a queen along with Tamil superstar Vijay is an action adventure fantasy film. It is being helmed by Chimbu Deven. Hansika Motwane and Shruti Haasan are also a part of the film. The shooting of the movie began in November 2014 and the trailer released in June this year.
Krrish 3 (2013) - 115 crore (US$18 million)
The third installment of Krrish series, 'Krrish' 3 was also directed by Rakesh Roshan. The movie had Hrithik Roshan and Priyanka Chopra in lead roles, whereas Vivek Oberoi and Kangana Ranaut played the antagonists. The movie was initially supposed to release in a 3D format, but due to lack of time, Rakesh Roshan released it in 2D. Honey Irani, who has written scripts of all the three movies of the franchised series beginning with 'Koi Mil Gaya' in 2003, 'Krrish' in 2006 and 'Krrish 3', said writing for such movies required a lot of imagination. "It required a lot of imagination to write 'Krrish 3' for the film as it is the third in the series. It is very different, but it is also something we had already done earlier, from 'Koi Mil Gaya' to 'Krrish'. To carry on from there and yet create more excitement by making it bigger took up a lot of imagination," she had told PTI.
I (2014) - 100 crore (US$16 million)
A romantic thriller made in Tamil, Vikram starrer 'I' is one of the most expensive Indian movies made with a budget of Rs. 100 crore. V. Srinivas Mohan designed the visual effects of the movie and the Weta Workshop worked on the background arts of the film. The film also featured Amy Jackson opposite Vikram.
Vishwaroopam (2013) - 95 crore (US$15 million)
Kamal Haasan's movie, which with a huge budget of Rs. 95 crore 'Vishwaroopam' was a spy thriller. The technical crew was brought in from United States. It is the first Indian film to have used the new Auro 3D sound technology.
Roop ki Rani Choron ka Raja (1993) - (9 crore)
A 1993 release, 'Roop ki Rani Choron Ka Raja' starring Anil Kapoor and Sridevi was made on a budget of Rs. 9 crore at that time. Anil Kapoor had also invested a lot of money in the movie, which turned out be a major box office disaster. The movie was announced in the year 1987. Shekhar Kapur was initially direction the film, but left half way and later, Satish Kaushik stepped in as the director of the film.
Pakeezah (1972)
Directed by Kamal Amrohi, 'Pakeezah' featured Meena Kumari as a Lucknow tawaif and Raaj Kumar as a forest ranger. Meena Kumari passed away shortly after the release of the film. Released in the year 1972, it was the most expensive film of that era.
Raju Chacha (2000)- (25 crores)
'Raju Chacha' was made with a budget of Rs. 25 crores. Starring Ajay Devgn and Kajol in the lead roles, the film was also Ajay's first attempt as a producer. The movie was an average grosser at the box office. For one of the songs in the film, Ajay had 4,000 children in it and a lot of special effects, lights from the helicopters flying over the heads of the dancing kids, children descending from parachute and computer graphics was involved in the making of the song.
Mughal-e-Azam (1960) - (Rs 15 million)
A 1960 release, 'Mughal-e-Azam' starring Prithviraj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar and Madhubala created a milestone. With a budget of Rs 15 million, the film showcased the love story of Salim and Anarkali. The black and white movie was later digitally coloured in 2004 which was again a commercial success.
Jeans (1998) - (190 million)
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan starrer 'Jeans' had a lot of cost put behind the making and production of the film. The movie was a hit, therefore was later dubbed in Hindi and Telugu. 'Jeans' also booked a slot in the nomination for the Best foreign Language Film for the Academy Awards in 1998.
