Many films from Indian cinema have reached the big screen. Some movies turn out to be hits and others flops. However, one particular film, which did not perform well at the time of its release, later became quite successful due to people’s appreciation. The film became a cult classic and earned Rs 35 crore at the box office. It featured some of the best actors of the Bollywood industry like Amitabh Bachchan, Hema Malini and others. If you are wondering what movie we are talking about, it is none other than the famous Sholay!
In this era, fans and filmmakers often judge the success or failure of a film based on its cast. However, at that moment what mattered most was the number of people who came to the box office. If viewership is the only metric, one blockbuster film in particular sold tickets for Rs 25 crore, the highest of any film. Ramesh Sippy’s Sholay became the most watched Indian film on the big screen.
After its release, the film earned Rs 15 crore at the box office. Additionally, Sholay sold approximately 15 crore tickets in India during its initial run. Furthermore, when the film was re-released on different occasions, it was seen by more than 3 million people in the domestic market.
The Curry Western also achieved significant success internationally, particularly in the Soviet Union, where it sold 48 million tickets during its initial release and 60 million overall. It is estimated that Sholay sold more than 10 million additional tickets over the years in Europe, North America and the Middle East, bringing its total to more than 250 million.
Another film that turned out to be a bigger hit than Sholay was Baahubali 2: The Conclusion. The film, directed by SS Rajamouli, was watched by approximately 15 million people worldwide. SS Rajamouli’s second directorial venture, RRR, was watched by even less, i.e. 6 million people. Sholay was released on the Independence Day weekend of 1975. Since the film featured several superstars and was made on a huge budget of 3 crores (at that time), it was expected to perform well. at the box office.
The film had a slow release and on Saturday critics predicted it would flop. However, on Sunday, Sholay gained momentum due to good response from people and ticket sales started increasing. Ultimately, at the end of its run, Sholay grossed Rs 15 crore and became the highest-grossing Indian film of all time, surpassing Mughal-e-Azam. Sholay starred Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra, Sanjeev Kumar, Amjad Khan, Hema Malini and Jaya Bachchan in the lead roles.
