By Lachman Balani
TORONTO: Ever since 2008, when Aamir Khan’s Ghajini set the bar of grossing Rs 100 crore (Rs 1 Billion) in domestic ticket sales, everybody has tried to crack that barrier. However, in 2009, it was Aamir Khan’s 3 idiots that once again made the grade. As a matter of fact it grossed over Rs. 200 crore!
However in 2010, Salman Khan’s Dabangg and the Ajay Devgn-Kareena Kapoor starrer Golmaal 3 made the grade.
In 2011, five movies – Ready, Bodyguard, Ra.One, Don 2 and Singham – grossed more than Rs 100 crore . Though there is some dispute on Singham, considering the parallel economy in India, it is a safe bet to assume that it did surpass the Rs 100 crore mark. Bodyguard set a record for being the first movie to gross Rs. 100 crore in a week!
The year 2012 has been a banner year for the Rs 100-crore club! Nine movies have made it! These are Agneepath, Housefull 2, Rowdy Rathore, Barfi, Dabangg 2, Bol Bacchan, Son of Sardaar, Ek Tha Tiger and the late Yash Chopra`s Jab Tak Hai Jaan.
In fact, Ek Tha Tiger broke the one-week record set by Bodyguard and grossed the benchmark figure in just five days! It is now closing in on the record set by 3 Idiots and may just cross the Rs. 200-crore mark by year-end!
Please note these figures are based only on domestic ticket sales in India without including the entertainment tax. If one counts total global sales, what with the popularity of Bollywood movies all over the world, some movies have grossed more than Rs 300 crore!
As far as actors go, Salman Khan tops the list having acted in five of the Rs 100-crore films, followed by Kareena Kapoor, Ajay Devgn, Sonakshi Sinha and Asin who have acted in four each, and coming in tied at the 3rd place are Shahrukh Khan and Priyanka Chopra who have acted in three of these top-grossing movies.
In 1913 the first Indian movie Raja Harishchandra was released. The next year, 2013, marks the centennial celebration of the Indian movie industry. I am sure all the directors, actors, script writers and all those involved in this fascinating industry will release some great movies and perhaps we will see at least a dozen movies that will surpass this benchmark figure!
Long live Bollywood!
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