Without a hero or a villain, this film became India's most profitable film ever, beating RRR, Sholay, Mughal-e-Azam, Pathaan, and Dangal.
In the 1970s, Hindi cinema was discovering angst and violence in a western manner for the first time. But amid this came a small-budget devotional film that broke the box office records. It not only outperformed big blockbusters but did so without any hero, villain, or fight scene.
1. Jai Santoshi Maa
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Directed by Vijay Sharma, Jai Santoshi Maa (1975) narrates the story through the tale of ordinary citizens and has no big stars in its cast. There were no antagonists and absolutely no fights or violence. Yet the film touched a chord with the audiences, particularly in small towns of north India.
2. Jai Santoshi Maa gave tough fight to Sholay
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In many parts, Jai Santoshi Maa outperformed Sholay, which was released later that year and was made on a budget 12 times as much as this film.
3. Box office collection of Jai Santoshi Maa
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Made on a budget of just Rs 25 lakh, the 1975 devotional film Jai Santoshi Maa proved to be the biggest sleeper hit in the history of Hindi cinema. Jai Santoshi Maa grossed Rs 5 crore at the box office.
4. How Jai Santoshi Maa became India's most profitable movie?
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Jai Santoshi Maa grossed Rs 5 crore at the box office. Adjusted for inflation, that figure would be close to Rs 1000 crore. This 2000% profit made Jai Santoshi Maa the most profitable Indian film ever, a record it holds to this day.
5. Here's how Jai Santoshi Maa beat Sholay, Baahubali, and RRR
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Sholay grossed Rs 15 crore in its original run but its profit was 400%, way lower than Jai Santoshi Maa. Even Baahubali 2 (600% profit), Dangal (1000% profit), and RRR (150% profit) pale in comparison to Jai Santoshi Maa’s brilliant run at the box office.
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