Highest Grossing Indian Movies by Year [1940-2024]

Highest Grossing Indian Movies by Year

Step into a world of captivating storytelling and unparalleled success as we embark on a thrilling exploration of the highest grossing Indian movies spanning nine illustrious decades – from the golden era of black-and-white cinema to modern blockbusters that have redefined global standards. This comprehensive guide will delve deep into the rich tapestry of Indian film history, revealing the most financially successful films released each year between 1940 and 2024.

As you traverse this cinematic timeline, prepare yourself to encounter iconic classics like Mother India (1957) and Sholay (1975), which continue to resonate with audiences worldwide even today. You’ll also discover how Bollywood has evolved over time, embracing new genres such as action, romance, drama, comedy, and science fiction while maintaining its unique cultural identity. Alongside these legendary titles, you’ll find lesser-known gems that defied expectations and became unexpected box office sensations in their respective years.

This journey is not merely about numbers; it’s a testament to the resilience, creativity, and innovation of Indian filmmakers who consistently push boundaries and set new benchmarks in the industry. As you navigate our meticulously curated list, immerse yourself in the triumphant tales of perseverance, risk-taking, and artistic brilliance that have shaped the landscape of Indian cinema throughout the past eight decades. Get ready to witness firsthand the evolution of one of the world’s largest and most vibrant film industries, all within the pages of this insightful and engaging article.

List of Highest Grossing Indian Movies by Year:

YearTitleDirectorWorldwide GrossFootfalls (est. ticket sales)Original language
2024Kalki 2898 AD*Siddharth Anand₹1,028–1,200 crore—Telugu
Hindi
2023JawanAtlee₹1,148.32 crore (US$140 million)—Hindi
2022RRRS. S. Rajamouli₹1,387.26 crore (US$170 million)—Telugu
2021Pushpa: The RiseSukumar₹365 crore (US$46 million)—Telugu
2020TanhajiOm Raut₹368 crore (US$50 million)—Hindi
2019WarSiddharth Anand₹475 crore (US$67 million)—Hindi
20182.0S. Shankar₹800 crore (US$117 million)—Tamil
2017Baahubali 2: The ConclusionS. S. Rajamouli₹1,810 crore (US$278 million)125 millionTelugu
2016DangalNitesh Tiwari₹2,024 crore (US$311 million)86.4 millionHindi
2015Bajrangi BhaijaanKabir Khan₹969.06 crore (US$151.06 million)—Hindi
2014PKRajkumar Hirani₹832 crore (US$136.33 million)—Hindi
2013Dhoom 3Vijay Krishna Acharya₹589.2 crore (US$100.55 million)—Hindi
2012Ek Tha TigerKabir Khan₹334.39 crore (US$62.58 million)—Hindi
2011BodyguardSiddique₹234 crore (US$50.14 million)Hindi
2010EnthiranS. Shankar₹289 crore (US$63.2 million)—Tamil
20093 IdiotsRajkumar Hirani₹459.96 crore (US$95.02 million)—Hindi
2008GhajiniA. R. Murugadoss₹232 crore (US$53.33 million)—Hindi
2007Om Shanti OmFarah Khan₹149.87 crore ($40 million)—Hindi
2006Dhoom 2Sanjay Gadhvi₹151.39 crore (US$33.41 million)—Hindi
2005No EntryAnees Bazmee₹74.13 crore (US$16.81 million)—Hindi
2004Veer-ZaaraYash Chopra₹97.64 crore (US$21.55 million)—Hindi
2003Kal Ho Naa HoNikhil Advani₹86.09 crore (US$18.48 million)—Hindi
2002DevdasSanjay Leela Bhansali₹168 crore ($35 million)—Hindi
2001Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham…Karan Johar₹135.53 crore (US$28.72 million)—Hindi
2000MohabbateinAditya Chopra₹90.01 crore (US$20.03 million)—Hindi
1999Hum Saath-Saath HainSooraj Barjatya₹81.71 crore (US$18.98 million)—Hindi
1998Kuch Kuch Hota HaiKaran Johar₹106.74 crore (US$25.87 million)37.2 millionHindi
1997Dil To Pagal HaiYash Chopra₹71.87 crore (US$19.79 million)30.1 millionHindi
1996Raja HindustaniDharmesh Darshan₹87.5 crore (US$24.7 million)41 million+Hindi
1995Dilwale Dulhania Le JayengeAditya Chopra₹200 crore (US$61.68 million)49.4 million+Hindi
1994Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!Sooraj Barjatya₹250 crore ($80 million)75.3 million+Hindi
1993AankhenDavid Dhawan₹25.25 crore (US$8.03 million)28.6 millionHindi
1992BetaIndra Kumar₹23.5 crore (US$9.07 million)35 millionHindi
1991SaajanLawrence D’Souza₹18 crore (US$7.93 million)29 million+Hindi
1990DilIndra Kumar₹18 crore (US$10.29 million)30 millionHindi
1989Maine Pyar KiyaSooraj Barjatya₹28 crore (US$17.26 million)47.5 million+Hindi
1988TezaabN. Chandra₹16 crore (US$11.5 million)29 million+Hindi
1987HukumatAnil Sharma₹11 crore (US$8.49 million)16 millionHindi
1986KarmaSubhash Ghai₹14 crore (US$11.11 million)33 millionHindi
1985Ram Teri Ganga MailiRaj Kapoor₹19 crore (US$15.37 million)40 millionHindi
1984JagirPramod Chakravorty₹35.32 crore ($28.01 million)38 million+Hindi
1983CoolieManmohan Desai₹18 crore (US$17.76 million)70 millionHindi
1982Disco DancerBabbar Subhash₹100.7 crore ($82.39 million)135 millionHindi
1981KrantiManoj Kumar₹20 crore ($23.1 million)60 millionHindi
1980Adventures of Ali-Baba and the Forty ThievesUmesh Mehra
Latif Faiziyev		₹22.11 crore ($28.13 million)74 millionHindustan
Russian
1979SuhaagManmohan Desai₹10 crore ($12.31 million)36 millionHindi
1978Muqaddar Ka SikandarPrakash Mehra₹26 crore ($31.75 million)92 millionHindi
1977Amar Akbar AnthonyManmohan Desai₹15.5 crore ($18.05 million)62 millionHindi
1976BaroodPramod Chakravorty₹19.32 crore ($23.52 million)66.3 millionHindustani
1975SholayRamesh Sippy₹58 crore ($70 million)250 millionHindustani
1974Roti Kapda Aur MakaanManoj Kumar₹10.5 crore (US$13.06 million)37.5 millionHindi
1973BobbyRaj Kapoor₹30 crore ($38.7 million)116 millionHindustani
1972Seeta Aur GeetaRamesh Sippy₹19.53 crore ($22.82 million)88.2 millionHindi
1971CaravanNasir Hussain₹35.3 crore ($39 million)319 millionHindi
1970Mera Naam JokerRaj Kapoor₹16.81 crore ($22.13 million)73.1 million+Hindustani
1969AradhanaShakti Samanta₹17.85 crore ($23.62 million)89.4 millionHindi
1968AnkhenRamanand Sagar₹6.5 crore ($8.67 million)28.6 millionHindi
1968DuniyaT. Prakash Rao—45.5 millionHindustani
1967HamraazB. R. Chopra₹13.33 crore ($17.77 million)42.4 million+Hindi
1966Phool Aur PattharO. P. Ralhan₹17 crore ($24.68 million)91.4 millionHindi
1965WaqtYash Chopra₹6 crore ($12.6 million)41 millionHindustani
1964SangamRaj Kapoor₹8 crore ($16.8 million)50 millionHindustani
1963Mere MehboobH. S. Rawail₹6 crore ($12.6 million)42 millionHindustani
1962Bees Saal BaadBiren Nag₹3 crore ($6.3 million)22 millionHindi
1961Ganga JamnaNitin Bose₹11 crore ($23.1 million)84 millionHindustani
1960Mughal-e-AzamK. Asif₹11 crore ($23.1 million)100 million+Hindi
Urdu
1959Char Dil Char RahenKhwaja Ahmad Abbas₹5.27 crore ($11.06 million)39.8 million+Hindi
1958MadhumatiBimal Roy₹4 crore ($8.4 million)30 million+Hindi
1957Mother IndiaMehboob Khan₹8 crore+ ($16.8 million+)100 million+Hindustani
1956Jagte RahoSombhu Mitra
Amit Maitra		₹4.44 crore ($9.33 million)33.6 million+Hindi
Bengali
1955Pather PanchaliSatyajit Ray₹10 crore ($21 million)Bengali
1954NaginNandlal Jaswantlal₹2.9 crore ($6 million)30 millionHindi
1953AnarkaliNandlal Jaswantlal₹2.35 crore ($4.93 million)29 million+Hindustani
1952AanMehboob Khan₹3.57 crore ($6.04 million)30 million+Hindustani
1951AwaaraRaj Kapoor₹15.61 crore ($30.66 million)230 millionHindustani
1950SamadhiRamesh Saigal₹1.35 crore ($2.8 million)15 million+Hindustani
1949BarsaatRaj Kapoor₹2 crore ($4 million)30 millionHindustani
1948ChandralekhaS. S. Vasan₹1.55 crore ($3.24 million)30 millionTamil
Hindustani
1947JugnuShaukat Hussain Rizvi₹50 lakh ($5 million)10 million+Hindustani
1946Anmol GhadiMehboob Khan₹1 crore ($3.02 million)32.5 millionHindustani
1945ZeenatShaukat Hussain Rizvi₹70 lakh ($2.12 million)14 million+Hindustani
1944RattanM. Sadiq₹1 crore ($3.03 million)35 million+Hindustani
1943KismetGyan Mukherjee₹1 crore ($3.32 million)35 million+Hindustani
1942BasantAmiya Chakrabarty₹80 lakh ($2.42 million)30 millionHindustani
1941KhazanchiMoti B. Gidwani₹70 lakh ($2.12 million)30 millionHindustani
1940ZindagiP. C. Barua₹55 lakh ($1.58 million)11 million+Hindustani

Also See:

References[1]

Share!