In just over two weeks, Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar: The Revenge has achieved what almost seemed impossible once. On Sunday, Dhurandhar 2 became the first Hindi film to earn ₹1000 crore net at the domestic box office. Earlier, Bollywood films have crossed the ₹1000-crore mark, always with the help of overseas collections. But the Ranveer Singh-starrer has broken new ground, entering an elite club that only has Baahubali 2 and Pushpa 2 so far.
This marks the next step in the box-office evolution of Bollywood, which saw its first ₹1-crore hit before independence, and saw the establishment of the 100-crore club less than two decades ago. We take a look at the progression of box-office earnings of Bollywood films and the hits that created each new ‘club’.
₹1 crore: Kismet (1943)
Directed by Gyan Mukherjee, this Ashok Kumar-starrer introduced the concept of anti-heroes to Indian cinema. The film, bold for its time, featured an unwed pregnant woman. But despite all this, it was a grand commercial success, becoming the first Indian film to gross ₹1 crore. It is regarded as the first all-time blockbuster in Indian cinema.
₹10 crore: Mughal-e-Azam (1960)
K Asif’s magnum opus was a decade in the making and ended up as the most expensive Indian film of its time. Upon release, it broke Mother India’s record to become the highest-grossing Indian film. The film, starring Dilip Kumar, Prithviraj Kapoor, and Madhubala, was also the first from India to net ₹10 crore domestically.
₹50 crore: Hum Aapke Hain Koun (1994)
It took over three decades for Indian cinema to go from ₹10 crore to ₹50 crore as Sooraj Barjatya’s family drama broke new ground. The Salman Khan and Madhuri Dixit-starrer earned ₹72 crore in India, a new record at the time. It was also an overseas blockbuster, grossing ₹128 crore worldwide, a record for Indian cinema.
₹100 crore: Ghajini (2008)
It was another Khan – Aamir – who established the 100-crore club with Ghajini, obliterating HAHK’s box office record. The AR Murugadoss film, a remake of his own Tamil film, earned ₹114 crore in India, establishing ₹100-crore as the benchmark for big hits. Its global gross was ₹194 crore.
₹200 crore: 3 Idiots (2009)
Barely a year later, Aamir again broke new ground as his and Rajkumar Hirani’s first collaboration – 3 Idiots – established the 200-crore club. The film, a massive hit, earned ₹201 crore net in India. Buoyed by Aamir’s newfound fame in China, it grossed ₹400 crore worldwide, again a new record for Indian cinema.
₹300 crore: PK (2014)
Aamir Khan’s golden run continued through the 2010s, highlighted by the success of PK. The film was the first from Hindi cinema to go past ₹300 crore in domestic net earnings. It ended its run at ₹337 crore net domestically, a record that stood until Dangal earned ₹387 crore in 2016.
₹400 crore and ₹500 crore: Pathaan (2023)
For a decade after PK’s release, pan-India films snatched the crown from Bollywood as the highest-grossers in India. Baahubali 2, KGF Chapter 2, and RRR all earned more than ₹500 crore in India, but no Bollywood film even crossed ₹400 crore. That was changed when Shah Rukh Khan returned after a 5-year hiatus with Pathaan. The film earned ₹543 crore net in India and ₹1049 crore gross worldwide, setting new benchmarks for Bollywood.
₹600 crore: Jawan (2023)
But Shah Rukh wasn’t done in 2023 with Pathaan. Seven months after his comeback, he again raised the bar with Atlee’s Jawan. The film surpassed Pathaan and became the first from Bollywood to earn ₹600 crore in India, ending its run at ₹643 crore net in India and ₹1140 crore gross worldwide.
₹700 and ₹800 crore: Dhurandhar (2025)
Even as films like Stree 2 and Chhaava crossed ₹600 crore, neither managed to surpass Jawan. The SRK-starrer held the record for over two years till Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar snatched it. The Ranveer Singh-starrer had the longest run for a Hindi film in recent years, going past ₹700 crore and ₹800 crore with ease. It ended its run with ₹840 crore net in India.
₹900 and ₹1000 crore: Dhurandhar 2 (2026)
It is crazy to think that Dhurandhar’s record lasted barely three months before its own sequel went past it, and that too, with considerable ease. Dhurandhar: The Revenge finally enabled Bollywood to challenge pan-India blockbusters. Its ₹1000-crore net earnings (as of April 5) are the third-highest for any Indian film, beating the likes of KGF Chapter 2, RRR, and Baahubali.