The Indian film industry has invested a lot in making movies, in the recent years. We’ve compiled a list of the most expensive Indian movies. The top four positions are held by South Indian movies, but Bollywood is not far behind. Here’s a list of the most expensive movies-
- Mahabharata
Budget: 1000 crores
Cast: Mohanlal, and others
Direction: VA Shrikumar Menon
Language(s): Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada, and Hindi
India’s biggest movie, Mahabharata is going to be made on a 1000 crore budget. It is going to be a two-part series. An Indian businessman based in the UAE is producing this movie. Actor Mohanlal will play the lead role. VA Shrikumar Menon will direct the movies. Both the movies in the Mahabharata series, are expected to hit the screens in 2020. The film will be made in Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada, and Hindi, and will also be dubbed in several other Indian and foreign languages.
The story is inspired by MT Vasudevan Nair’s work “Randamoozham”, which narrates Mahabharata from Bheema’s point of view. MT Vasudevan Nair, a Padma Bhushan awardee, who has also won a number of National Awards for screenwriting will write the screenplay for this movie. The makers are planning to rope in artists and top-notch technicians to work in this two-part epic series. The other cast and crew members are yet to be finalized.
- 2.0
Budget: 400 crores
Cast: Rajinikanth, Akshay Kumar, Amy Jackson, Subanshu Pandey, Adil Hussain, Riyaz Khan
Direction: S.Shankar
Language(s): Tamil, Telugu, Hindi
Production: Subaskaran Alirajah
Music: A.R Rahman
Cinematography: Nirav Shah
Director Shankar is known for his grand movies. All of his movies are made on a mega-scale budget. Rajinikanth’s Enthiran broke several existing box-office records at the time of its release. It was about a robot that develops feelings for its creator’s girlfriend. The movie boasted of big names like Aishwarya Rai, A.R Rahman, and Thotta Tharani. It was a huge hit and a trendsetting movie in Indian cinema. 2.0 is a sequel to Endhiran. Akshay Kumar is playing the antagonist in 2.0. It is expected to release in October, this year.
- Bahubali: The Conclusion
Budget: 250 crores
Cast: Prabhas, Rana Daggubati, Anushka Shetty, Tamannaah, Ramya Krishnan, Sathyaraj, Nassar
Direction: S.S. Rajamouli
Language(s): Tamil, Telugu
Production: Arka Media Works
Music: M.M Keeravani
Cinematography: K.K Senthil Kumar
Bahubali: The Conclusion is the second part of the Bahubali series. It is releasing on the 28th of April, 2017. It is one of the most anticipated movies of the year. The first movie in the series, Bahubali: The Beginning was a huge hit. The Bahubali 2 trailer broke the internet on the day of its release. A major part of the movie is made using computer-generated imagery, by some of the best talents in the industry. More than 17 VFX teams have worked in the movie. The movie is also being dubbed in Hindi, English, and other foreign languages.
- Bahubali: The Beginning
Budget: 180 crores
Cast: Prabhas, Rana Daggubati, Anushka Shetty, Tamannaah, Ramya Krishnan, Sathyaraj, Nassar
Direction: S.S. Rajamouli
Language(s): Tamil, Telugu
Production: Arka Media Works
Music: M.M Keeravani
Cinematography: K.K Senthil Kumar
“Bahubali: The Beginning” was one movie that made the world take note of South Indian Cinema. The mega budget movie used more than 2500 VFX shots. It is believed that each frame cost more than 5000 rupees. The VFX team virtually replicated a 1500 ft mystical waterfall. The actors underwent rigorous training to prepare for their roles. The team even gifted body building equipment worth 1.5 crores to the lead actor Prabhas. The movie was grand. Every frame oozed magnificence. It was a smashing hit.
- Prem Ratan Dhan Payo
Budget: 180 crores
Cast: Salman Khan, Sonam Kapoor, Neil Nithin Mukesh, Anupam Kher, Armaan Kohli, Swara Bhaskar, Aashika Bhatia, Deepraj Rana
Direction: Sooraj R Barjatya
Language(s): Hindi
Production: Rajshri Productions
Music: Himmesh Reshammiya, Sanjay Chowdary
Cinematography: V. Manikandan
Prem Ratan Dhan Payo was a romantic drama released in 2015. It was a huge commercial success. The whole movie was shot in palatial residence and royal bungalows. Salman Khan played a dual role in the movie. One of the roles was that of a prince. The movie is about the life of a royal. The lavish sets and the gorgeous backdrops explain the amount of money invested in the making of the movie. The movie was also dubbed into Tamil and Telugu.
- Dhoom
Budget: 175 crores
Cast: Aamir Khan, Abishek Khan, Katrina Kaif, Uday Chopra, Siddharth Nigam, Jackie Shroff
Direction: Vijay Krishna Acharya
Language(s): Hindi
Production: Yash Raj Films
Music: Pritam, Julius Packiam
Cinematography: Sudeep Chatterjee
Dhoom 3, the third movie in the Dhoom series was made on a huge budget of 175crores. It was the first Indian movie to release in IMAX motion picture film format, with Dolby Atmos sound. It was dubbed into Tamil and Telugu. This suave and classy movie was released in 4500 Indian theatres, and 750 international theatres. Dhoom 3 holds the record of being the highest grossing Bollywood movie of all time.
- Dilwale
Budget: 165 crores
Cast: Shahrukh Khan, Kajol, Varun Dhawan, Kriti Sanon, Boman Irani, Johny Lever, Sanjay Mishra
Direction: Rohit Shetty
Language(s): Hindi
Production: Red Chillies Entertainment, Rohit Shetty Productions
Music: Pritam Chakraborthy, Amar Mohile
Cinematography: Dudley
Rohit Shetty who is known for delivering commercial entertainers directed the movie Dilwale. With Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol in the team, the movie was bound to a commercial success. Red Chillies Entertainment had invested 165 crores in the movie. Despite the critics shredding the movie to bits, Dilwale was commercially well received. It was about a pair who fell in love, and got separated and met again after years. The movie earned a handsome return.
- Bang Bang
Budget: 160 crores
Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Katrina Kaif, Danny Denzongpa, Jaaved Jaffray, Pawan Malhotra, Vikram Gokhale, Jimmy Shergill
Direction: Siddharth Anand
Language(s): Hindi
Production: Fox Star Studios
Music: Vishal-Shekhar, Salim-Sulaiman
Cinematography: Sunil Patel
This movie was the official remake of the movie “Knight and Day”. Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz played the lead roles in the original movie. Bang Bang featured several exotic locations. The movie was dubbed into other languages such as Tamil, and Telugu. The movie was severely criticized for the plot, but it kept the cash registers ringing.