Bollywood movies have often surprised us with their content, casting, and sometimes even VFX! But, one cannot help but appreciate the efforts that the makers put into movies like Bramhastra for VFX, Lagaan for the historical sports movie, Dear Zindagi for spreading the word about mental health, and Krrish for giving us a desi superhero that we all loved! Some Bollywood movies don’t need a massive budget- the script is enough to lure the viewers to the cinema halls.
Here are 10 such small-budget Bollywood Movies that made it big on Box Office.
1. Andhadhun
It is a fantastic crime comedy that will amaze you with all the twists, and leave you wondering what would happen next with an open ending. Starring actors like Tabu, Ayushman Khurrana, and Radhika Apte, it was so good that many remakes were made after this movie’s success. To your astonishment, it had a Rs. 475 crore worldwide collection, but was made in just 32 crores!
2. The Lunchbox
This simple and sweet movie was made on a very small budget of Rs. 22 crores. However, had a worldwide cross-collection of over Rs. 100 crores. Featuring Irfan Khan, and Nimrat Kaur in lead roles- the movie is about an exchange of dabbas aka lunchboxes of two households- resulting in a unique friendship between two strangers.
3. Queen
Queen stole our hearts with a simple story of a small-town girl who decided to go on her honeymoon trip to Paris alone when her ‘groom-to-be’ ditched her last minute. Despite shooting in scenic foreign locations for most of the part- the movie was made on a mere budget of Rs. 23 crores. The movie went on to become one of the classic hits making a worldwide collection of Rs. 95 crores.
4. Pink
The movie was partially shot in Delhi and some in Mumbai Fimcity. It had an overall budget of Rs. 30 crores. But this feminist movie won the audiences over with its theme about women’s safety, and the thrill of the murder mystery. Surprisingly, Pink received a lot of praise from people and it had 104 crores of gross collection globally.
5. Stree
Not many Bollywood horror movies taste success, let alone a horror comedy- it is a typical genre that is not easy to crack. Stree is a 2018 movie directed by Amar Kaushik that featured Rajkumar Rao and Shraddha Kapoor in the lead roles among others. A movie inspired by a real-life incident of a female spirit roaming around a small Indian town and taking away men who roam around alone at night. The movie had a budget of only Rs. 14 crores and its worldwide collection amounted to almost 180 crores INR (crazy!).
6. Hindi Medium
A comedy-drama about a couple fighting hard in today’s commercial and competitive world, to get their kid admission to one of the most prestigious schools in their city. While Irfan Khan and Deepak Dorbriyal’s comic timing made us ROFL, the emotional story broke our hearts too. It had a total budget of Rupees 22 crore and had a net collection of almost 70 crores in India and even had a very high collection in China.
7. Badhaai Ho
A family comedy-drama about a young man working in an MNC who introduces his girlfriend to his family- but the timing is wrong. His mom was pregnant with another sibling! It is a family entertainer that had a budget of Rs. 29 crores and went on to become one of the highest-grossing movies of 2018 and had a worldwide collection of Rs. 221 crores.
8. Kahaani
A suspense thriller movie in which Vidya Balan plays a mysterious protagonist whose every move will keep you on the edge of your seat. But, this mind-blowing thriller was produced with just a budget of Rs.8 crores and had a cross-box office collection of Rs. 91 crores- a big leap! The beautiful narrow lanes, the dark alleys, and the actors who gave killer performances- the movie was outstanding in every way possible.
9. Secret Superstar
A movie that shows the innocent dreams of a small-town girl of becoming a rockstar. The movie stars the Dangal father-daughter duo- Amir Khan, and Zaira Wasim, and its naive main character with a determined will to fight against everyone and become a superstar- well, it gave hope to many women in India, and maybe somewhere else too. It was made on a very humble budget of only Rs. 15 crores, but it is said to have achieved a massive box office collection of Rs. 965 crores worldwide!
10. A Wednesday
This ambitious thriller drama film stood out among all the movies that were made at that time (2008). The movie was about a common man who shook up the whole police department of Mumbai by calling and informing them about a bomb being planted somewhere in the city. You won’t believe me when I say that the movie was made for just 5 crore rupees and earned over 30 crore INR- but it is true!
Never dismiss a small-budget movie- it could be your next big hit of the year!
