From content-driven movies to masala flicks to off-beat mainstream cinema, innumerable Bollywood films hit the screens in 2015. But only a handful of these managed to strike gold at the Box Office. Here's a low-down on the biggest grossers of 2015.
Bajrangi Bhaijaan
Box Office collection: 318 Crore; Budget: 125 Crore
Verdict: Blockbuster
Salman Khan once again proved that he is the undisputed king of Box Office and his Bajrangi Bhaijaan, the Kabir Khan directorial venture struck the right chord with the audiences. The entertainer attained the blockbuster status within three days of its release. Touted to be Salman's best film ever Bajrangi entered the Rs 100-crore club in its opening weekend. The film, which broke several box office records, made a whopping Rs 318 crore at the domestic box office. Bajrangi Bhaijaan released strategically during the time of Eid, which helped in making the film an even bigger hit.
Prem Ratan Dhan Payo
Box Office collection: 205 Crore; Budget: 140 Crore
Verdict: Super Hit
Salman Khan returned as Sooraj Barjatya's quintessential hero Prem and yet again proved lucky for the filmmaker. Prem Ratan Dhan Payo, their first film in the last 16 years, turned out to be a huge hit at the box office. The family entertainer opened to Rs 40 crore and crossed the Rs 100 crore mark in its opening weekend. The film continued to cast its spell at the ticket windows and entered the Rs 200-crore mark in its second week.
Tanu Weds Manu Returns
Box Office collection: 148 Crore; Budget: 40 Crore
Verdict: Blockbuster
Kangana Ranaut's double role in the sequel to Aanand L Rai's 2011 film was a treat for her fans. The film, which opened to only Rs 8.75 crore, crossed the Rs 150-crore mark in its second week. Focussing on the rediscovery of love between a married couple, the romantic comedy turned out to be the one of the biggest grossers of the year. . Once again Kangana proved that she is one of the most bankable stars of Bollywood.
Bajirao Mastani
Box Office collection: 136 Crore; Budget: 120 Crore
Verdict: Awaited
Despite facing stiff competition from Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol-starrer Dilwale at the box office, Sanjay Leela Bhansali's magnum opus Bajirao Mastani has yet again proved that content is the king. The love saga between Peshwa Bajirao I and his second wife Mastani has won the hearts of fans. The period drama, which lagged behind the Rohit Shetty film in its initial days, crossed the Rs 100 crore mark with nine days of its release and with each passing day, the box office collection gap between the two films has narrowed down.
ABCD 2
Box Office collection: 105 Crore; Budget: 60 Crore
Verdict: Super Hit
Remo D'Souza's ABCD had struck gold at the box office in 2013, and its sequel, ABCD 2, which had a starry twist, also turned out to be one of the biggest openers of 2015. The Varun Dhawan-Shraddha Kapoor-starrer set the cash registers ringing within three days of its release. Based on the real-life story of dancers Suresh and Vernon from Nalasopara in suburban Mumbai, who had begun the Fictitious Dance Group and made their way to the World Hip Hop Challenge finals in Las Vegas, the film entered the Rs 100-crore mark in its third week
Gabbar Is Back
Box Office collection: 85 Crore; Budget: 72 Crore
Verdict: Hit
The third Akshay Kumar starrer to make it to the Top 10 list, Gabbar Is Back was as 'masala' as it gets. The film was much talked about ahead of its release mostly because of the historical context of the name, however, Akshay projected the movie as one whose message is of purely fighting corruption to align it with the current national scene. That particular niche was considered enough to set the film apart all by itself. Also, it marked Akshay’s return to hardcore action after a long time and the action star didn't disappoint. Directed by Krish, the film both opened and sustained well.
Piku
Box Office collection: 78 Crore; Budget: 50 Crore
Verdict: Hit
Shoojit Sircar's slice-of-life family entertainer was an unexpected hit at the box office. Made on a decent budget,within a few days of its release, the film witnessed a phenomenal growth with a positive word of mouth. The film explored the nuances of a father-daughter relationship, shared by Amitabh Bachchan and Deepika Padukone ably supported by Irrfan. The film was not made on a lavish budget, but managed to make some good noise at the Box Office.
Badlapur
Box Office collection: 50 Crore; Budget: 26 Crore
Verdict: Hit
Badlapur has also become Varun Dhawan’s third highest grossing film after Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania and Student Of The Year.The film was appreciated by the audience and the movie’s box office collections look to be propped up by positive word of mouth. In fact, both the actors, Varun Dhawan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui, have been applauded by one and all for stellar performances in the film.
Pyaar Ka Punchnama 2
Box Office collection: 58 Crore; Budget: 25 Crore
Verdict: Hit
Luv Ranjan's directorial film Pyaar Ka Punchnama 2 surprised trade analysts with its Box Office collection despite almost new team that the director brought together for the sequel. In just two weeks, the film had crossed Rs 50 crore at the domestic box office, turning out to be one of the most successful films of this year. The film has benefitted from the loyal fans of Pyaar Ka Punchnama and this time around women have given it a green signal as well, due to which there were good footfalls day after day and repeat viewing as well.
Hate Story 3
Box Office collections: 51 Crore; Budget: 24 Crore
Verdict: Hit
After a fantastic start, the Vishal Pandya directed mid-budget film stayed quite stable and continued to make moolah in its second weekend as well. This wasn’t surprising as the fall during the weekdays wasn’t massive and the film was working well with the target audience. As a result, the film continued to find good screens for itself in the second week too. Since there was no new release during the week, the mass audience had only one choice available and this is where the franchise came in handy. For everyone involved with the film, it has been a wonderful outing indeed. Sharman Joshi has managed a success to his name after four consecutive flops. Karan Singh Grover had a rousing start in Bollywood and Zareen and Daisy, too, had a winner in their kitty.
Kiss Kisko Pyaar Karoon
Box Office collections: 44 Crore; Budget: 20 Crore
Verdict: Hit
The stand-up comic artist Kapil Sharma who earned fame from his show Comedy Nights With Kapilsuccessfully made his debut in the tinsel town with the film Kis Kisko Pyaar Karoon. With positive word of mouth publicity and no big release alongside, the collection of Kis Kisko Pyaar Karoon raked in 28.81 crore in its opening weekend. The movie is considered to be one of the highest grossers by a debutant.
Dum Laga Ke Haisha
Box Office collection: 28 crore; Budget: 13 crore
Verdict: Hit
The biggest surprise came some time early this year via Yash Raj Films' very reasonably costing Dum Laga Ke Haisha, a romantic comedy starring Ayushmann Khurrana and Bhoomi Pednekar in the lead role. Despite a slow start, the film turned out to be the first clean hit of the year.
(All the figures – Box Office collection as well as Budget are approximate)
RECOMMENDED: Watch - New Year Wishes - SRK, Deepika, Priyanka, Ranveer, Arjun, Sonam, KJo, Sonakshi, Kareena & Others!