Highest Grossing Indian Movies by Year [1940-2024]
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:
| Year | Title | Director | Worldwide Gross | Footfalls (est. ticket sales) | Original language |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Fighter* | Siddharth Anand | ₹331.84 crore (US$42 million) | — | Hindi |
| 2023 | Jawan | Atlee | ₹1,148.32 crore (US$140 million) | — | Hindi |
| 2022 | RRR | S. S. Rajamouli | ₹1,387.26 crore (US$170 million) | — | Telugu |
| 2021 | Pushpa: The Rise | Sukumar | ₹365 crore (US$46 million) | — | Telugu |
| 2020 | Tanhaji | Om Raut | ₹368 crore (US$50 million) | — | Hindi |
| 2019 | War | Siddharth Anand | ₹475 crore (US$67 million) | — | Hindi |
| 2018 | 2.0 | S. Shankar | ₹800 crore (US$117 million) | — | Tamil |
| 2017 | Baahubali 2: The Conclusion | S. S. Rajamouli | ₹1,810 crore (US$278 million) | 125 million | Telugu |
| 2016 | Dangal | Nitesh Tiwari | ₹2,024 crore (US$311 million) | 86.4 million | Hindi |
| 2015 | Bajrangi Bhaijaan | Kabir Khan | ₹969.06 crore (US$151.06 million) | — | Hindi |
| 2014 | PK | Rajkumar Hirani | ₹832 crore (US$136.33 million) | — | Hindi |
| 2013 | Dhoom 3 | Vijay Krishna Acharya | ₹589.2 crore (US$100.55 million) | — | Hindi |
| 2012 | Ek Tha Tiger | Kabir Khan | ₹334.39 crore (US$62.58 million) | — | Hindi |
| 2011 | Bodyguard | Siddique | ₹234 crore (US$50.14 million) | Hindi | |
| 2010 | Enthiran | S. Shankar | ₹289 crore (US$63.2 million) | — | Tamil |
| 2009 | 3 Idiots | Rajkumar Hirani | ₹459.96 crore (US$95.02 million) | — | Hindi |
| 2008 | Ghajini | A. R. Murugadoss | ₹232 crore (US$53.33 million) | — | Hindi |
| 2007 | Om Shanti Om | Farah Khan | ₹149.87 crore ($40 million) | — | Hindi |
| 2006 | Dhoom 2 | Sanjay Gadhvi | ₹151.39 crore (US$33.41 million) | — | Hindi |
| 2005 | No Entry | Anees Bazmee | ₹74.13 crore (US$16.81 million) | — | Hindi |
| 2004 | Veer-Zaara | Yash Chopra | ₹97.64 crore (US$21.55 million) | — | Hindi |
| 2003 | Kal Ho Naa Ho | Nikhil Advani | ₹86.09 crore (US$18.48 million) | — | Hindi |
| 2002 | Devdas | Sanjay Leela Bhansali | ₹168 crore ($35 million) | — | Hindi |
| 2001 | Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham… | Karan Johar | ₹135.53 crore (US$28.72 million) | — | Hindi |
| 2000 | Mohabbatein | Aditya Chopra | ₹90.01 crore (US$20.03 million) | — | Hindi |
| 1999 | Hum Saath-Saath Hain | Sooraj Barjatya | ₹81.71 crore (US$18.98 million) | — | Hindi |
| 1998 | Kuch Kuch Hota Hai | Karan Johar | ₹106.74 crore (US$25.87 million) | 37.2 million | Hindi |
| 1997 | Dil To Pagal Hai | Yash Chopra | ₹71.87 crore (US$19.79 million) | 30.1 million | Hindi |
| 1996 | Raja Hindustani | Dharmesh Darshan | ₹87.5 crore (US$24.7 million) | 41 million+ | Hindi |
| 1995 | Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge | Aditya Chopra | ₹200 crore (US$61.68 million) | 49.4 million+ | Hindi |
| 1994 | Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! | Sooraj Barjatya | ₹250 crore ($80 million) | 75.3 million+ | Hindi |
| 1993 | Aankhen | David Dhawan | ₹25.25 crore (US$8.03 million) | 28.6 million | Hindi |
| 1992 | Beta | Indra Kumar | ₹23.5 crore (US$9.07 million) | 35 million | Hindi |
| 1991 | Saajan | Lawrence D’Souza | ₹18 crore (US$7.93 million) | 29 million+ | Hindi |
| 1990 | Dil | Indra Kumar | ₹18 crore (US$10.29 million) | 30 million | Hindi |
| 1989 | Maine Pyar Kiya | Sooraj Barjatya | ₹28 crore (US$17.26 million) | 47.5 million+ | Hindi |
| 1988 | Tezaab | N. Chandra | ₹16 crore (US$11.5 million) | 29 million+ | Hindi |
| 1987 | Hukumat | Anil Sharma | ₹11 crore (US$8.49 million) | 16 million | Hindi |
| 1986 | Karma | Subhash Ghai | ₹14 crore (US$11.11 million) | 33 million | Hindi |
| 1985 | Ram Teri Ganga Maili | Raj Kapoor | ₹19 crore (US$15.37 million) | 40 million | Hindi |
| 1984 | Jagir | Pramod Chakravorty | ₹35.32 crore ($28.01 million) | 38 million+ | Hindi |
| 1983 | Coolie | Manmohan Desai | ₹18 crore (US$17.76 million) | 70 million | Hindi |
| 1982 | Disco Dancer | Babbar Subhash | ₹100.7 crore ($82.39 million) | 135 million | Hindi |
| 1981 | Kranti | Manoj Kumar | ₹20 crore ($23.1 million) | 60 million | Hindi |
| 1980 | Adventures of Ali-Baba and the Forty Thieves | Umesh Mehra Latif Faiziyev | ₹22.11 crore ($28.13 million) | 74 million | Hindustan Russian |
| 1979 | Suhaag | Manmohan Desai | ₹10 crore ($12.31 million) | 36 million | Hindi |
| 1978 | Muqaddar Ka Sikandar | Prakash Mehra | ₹26 crore ($31.75 million) | 92 million | Hindi |
| 1977 | Amar Akbar Anthony | Manmohan Desai | ₹15.5 crore ($18.05 million) | 62 million | Hindi |
| 1976 | Barood | Pramod Chakravorty | ₹19.32 crore ($23.52 million) | 66.3 million | Hindustani |
| 1975 | Sholay | Ramesh Sippy | ₹58 crore ($70 million) | 250 million | Hindustani |
| 1974 | Roti Kapda Aur Makaan | Manoj Kumar | ₹10.5 crore (US$13.06 million) | 37.5 million | Hindi |
| 1973 | Bobby | Raj Kapoor | ₹30 crore ($38.7 million) | 116 million | Hindustani |
| 1972 | Seeta Aur Geeta | Ramesh Sippy | ₹19.53 crore ($22.82 million) | 88.2 million | Hindi |
| 1971 | Caravan | Nasir Hussain | ₹35.3 crore ($39 million) | 319 million | Hindi |
| 1970 | Mera Naam Joker | Raj Kapoor | ₹16.81 crore ($22.13 million) | 73.1 million+ | Hindustani |
| 1969 | Aradhana | Shakti Samanta | ₹17.85 crore ($23.62 million) | 89.4 million | Hindi |
| 1968 | Ankhen | Ramanand Sagar | ₹6.5 crore ($8.67 million) | 28.6 million | Hindi |
| 1968 | Duniya | T. Prakash Rao | — | 45.5 million | Hindustani |
| 1967 | Hamraaz | B. R. Chopra | ₹13.33 crore ($17.77 million) | 42.4 million+ | Hindi |
| 1966 | Phool Aur Patthar | O. P. Ralhan | ₹17 crore ($24.68 million) | 91.4 million | Hindi |
| 1965 | Waqt | Yash Chopra | ₹6 crore ($12.6 million) | 41 million | Hindustani |
| 1964 | Sangam | Raj Kapoor | ₹8 crore ($16.8 million) | 50 million | Hindustani |
| 1963 | Mere Mehboob | H. S. Rawail | ₹6 crore ($12.6 million) | 42 million | Hindustani |
| 1962 | Bees Saal Baad | Biren Nag | ₹3 crore ($6.3 million) | 22 million | Hindi |
| 1961 | Ganga Jamna | Nitin Bose | ₹11 crore ($23.1 million) | 84 million | Hindustani |
| 1960 | Mughal-e-Azam | K. Asif | ₹11 crore ($23.1 million) | 100 million+ | Hindi Urdu |
| 1959 | Char Dil Char Rahen | Khwaja Ahmad Abbas | ₹5.27 crore ($11.06 million) | 39.8 million+ | Hindi |
| 1958 | Madhumati | Bimal Roy | ₹4 crore ($8.4 million) | 30 million+ | Hindi |
| 1957 | Mother India | Mehboob Khan | ₹8 crore+ ($16.8 million+) | 100 million+ | Hindustani |
| 1956 | Jagte Raho | Sombhu Mitra Amit Maitra | ₹4.44 crore ($9.33 million) | 33.6 million+ | Hindi Bengali |
| 1955 | Pather Panchali | Satyajit Ray | ₹10 crore ($21 million) | Bengali | |
| 1954 | Nagin | Nandlal Jaswantlal | ₹2.9 crore ($6 million) | 30 million | Hindi |
| 1953 | Anarkali | Nandlal Jaswantlal | ₹2.35 crore ($4.93 million) | 29 million+ | Hindustani |
| 1952 | Aan | Mehboob Khan | ₹3.57 crore ($6.04 million) | 30 million+ | Hindustani |
| 1951 | Awaara | Raj Kapoor | ₹15.61 crore ($30.66 million) | 230 million | Hindustani |
| 1950 | Samadhi | Ramesh Saigal | ₹1.35 crore ($2.8 million) | 15 million+ | Hindustani |
| 1949 | Barsaat | Raj Kapoor | ₹2 crore ($4 million) | 30 million | Hindustani |
| 1948 | Chandralekha | S. S. Vasan | ₹1.55 crore ($3.24 million) | 30 million | Tamil Hindustani |
| 1947 | Jugnu | Shaukat Hussain Rizvi | ₹50 lakh ($5 million) | 10 million+ | Hindustani |
| 1946 | Anmol Ghadi | Mehboob Khan | ₹1 crore ($3.02 million) | 32.5 million | Hindustani |
| 1945 | Zeenat | Shaukat Hussain Rizvi | ₹70 lakh ($2.12 million) | 14 million+ | Hindustani |
| 1944 | Rattan | M. Sadiq | ₹1 crore ($3.03 million) | 35 million+ | Hindustani |
| 1943 | Kismet | Gyan Mukherjee | ₹1 crore ($3.32 million) | 35 million+ | Hindustani |
| 1942 | Basant | Amiya Chakrabarty | ₹80 lakh ($2.42 million) | 30 million | Hindustani |
| 1941 | Khazanchi | Moti B. Gidwani | ₹70 lakh ($2.12 million) | 30 million | Hindustani |
| 1940 | Zindagi | P. C. Barua | ₹55 lakh ($1.58 million) | 11 million+ | Hindustani |
Also See:
- Highest Grossing Indian Movies of All Time
- Highest Grossing South Indian Movies of All Time
- Highest Grossing Bollywood Movies of All Time
- Highest Grossing Telugu Movies of All Time
- Highest Grossing Tamil Movies of All Time
- Highest Grossing Kannada Movies of All Time
- Highest Grossing Malayalam Movies of All Time
- Highest Grossing Punjabi Movies of All Time
- Highest Grossing Assamese Movies of All Time
References[1]
