The most profitable Indian film this year earned Rs 300 crore on a budget of just Rs 15 crore.
The list of the highest grossing Indian films of this year includes names of blockbusters like Pathaan, Varisu, Ponniyin Selvan 2, as well as the two films currently running in theatres – Gadar 2 and Jailer. However, all of these blockbusters had high budgets too, which meant that despite these huge collections, their profits weren’t the highest for this year. That honour lies with a small film with no stars made on a budget of just Rs 15 crore.
The most profitable Indian film of 2023
The Indian film that has made the most amount of profit at the box office in 2023 is The Kerala Story. Directed by Sudipto Sen and starring Adah Sharma, the film was made on a reported budget of around Rs 15 crore but banked by a good word of mouth, it earned Rs 303 crore gross worldwide. Its global net haul (without taxes) was also over Rs 250 crore, giving it a profit of over 1500% against its landing cost, one of the highest for an Indian film in recent times.
How The Kerala Story beat Pathaan, Gadar 2, and Jailer
Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Pathaan remains the highest grossing Indian film of 2023 eight months into the year. It earned Rs 1050 crore worldwide with a rough net haul of Rs 850 crore (after deducting taxes). This means that due to a Rs 250-crore reported budget, Pathaan’s profit was around 240%, a substantial figure but nowhere close to The Kerala Story’s high figure. Similarly, Rajinikanth’s Jailer has earned roughly Rs 430 crore net on a budget of Rs 200 crore (profit of 115% and counting), while Sunny Deol’s Gadar has earned Rs 400 crore on a Rs 80-crore budget (profit of 400%).
Most profitable Indian film ever made
The most profitable Indian film ever made is Zaira Wasim-starrer Secret Superstar, which also featured Aamir Khan in a cameo. The film had a reported budget of Rs 15 crore and made a whopping Rs 900 crore worldwide, including Rs 700 crore net. This gave the film a massive 4500% profit. Two other films, released last year, also made a lot of money despite a small budget – The Kashmir Files and Kantara.
