The most successful movie ever made in India made 60 times its budget; the main actress was just 15 and there was no action, villain, or hero
Take Dangal, the highest-grossing Indian movie ever, which brought in slightly more than 25 times its budget. Only 5-7 times for larger blockbusters like Pathaan and Baahubali. It follows that a movie that makes many times its budget is deemed a huge success. However, what if we told you that an Indian movie achieved a record that is unlikely to be surpassed in the near future by earning more than 60 times its production budget? Surprisingly, the movie managed to pull it off without the aid of any action, heroes, or villains.
The 2017 blockbuster Secret Superstar, starring Zaira Wasim, is the highest-grossing Indian film ever produced. Despite having a stated production budget of Rs 15 crore, the Aamir Khan film became a worldwide smash, grossing over Rs 900 crore at the box office. This was mainly because of the film’s phenomenal run in China, where it generated about 90% of its total revenue. The movie was the most grossing picture with a female lead and among the top earning movies in Indian box office history.
Neither an action movie nor a masala entertainment, Secret Superstar was neither. It lacked big sets, elaborate scenes, action, and stunts. In actuality, it lacked a hero altogether, except for an appearance by Aamir Khan. Zaira Wasim, who was 15 at the time the movie was filmed, bore the brunt of it. The movie had no adversary either, relying instead on its slice-of-life connection to the viewer to meet its box office goals. The movie did not let me down in the slightest.
In India, Secret Superstar was successful, but not to the extent that it would become a blockbuster—at least not during its first run. The movie made Rs 64 crore net (Rs 90 crore gross) its first weekend of release in India and an additional Rs 65 crore abroad, for a total gross of Rs 155 crore worldwide. This figure was enormous on its own. However, the Advait Chandan-directed film made over $100 million when it opened in China in 2018 and ended up grossing Rs 905 crore worldwide. As a result, it was at the time the third-highest earning Indian movie.
