The first Bollywood film to gross Rs 100 crore worldwide was released 41 years ago and it's overwhelming earnings were the result of its craze overseas.
The 100-crore club in Bollywood is quite strong nowadays. With the rise in ticket prices and proliferation of cinemas, as well as wider global releases, it has become easier for Indian films to earn Rs 100 crore at the box office. But not too long ago, this was considered the benchmark of a film’s success. If one were to ask which was the first Indian film to cross that threshold, chances are you’d respond with obvious-seeming choices like Hum Aapke Hain Kaun or Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge.
But what if one told you that the first Indian film that breached the Rs 100-crore mark was released way back in 1982. Yes, that is right! The 100-crore club wa established years before the Khans made their debut and when the likes of Karan Johar and Aditya Chopra were still in school. And the film was not headlined by the reigning superstar of the day Amitabh Bachchan either. Nor did a south megastar like Rajinikanth or Kamal Haasan star in it.
The first Indian film to earn Rs 100 crore
The film in question was Disco Dancer, and its star – or rather stars – were Mithun Chakraborty and composer Bappi Lahiri. Directed by Babbar Subhash, the musical blockbuster starred Mithun as Anil aka Jimmy, a street singer who becomes a disco star. The film also starred Kim, Rajesh Khanna, and Om Puri in supporting roles. Bappi Lahiri’s chartbuster tunes made it a sensation and it grosses Rs 6.40 crore in the domestic market, a big number but one that was far behind the biggest hits of the year like Vidhaata (Rs 14 crore) and Namak Halaal (Rs 12 crore).
Disco Dancer mania in Russia
But the real windfall for Disco Dancer happened overseas, and in one territory only. In Soviet Russia, the film was a craze. When releases in the country in 1984, it broke box office records to be the biggest hit in the country, selling 12 crore tickets for an approximate gross earning of 60 million roubles (roughly Rs 94.28 crore). That brought Disco Dancer’s total worldwide gross to Rs 100.68 crore.
The craze for Disco Dancer was so high in Russia that it remained the highest-grossing Indian film overseas for over a quarter of a century when its numbers were surpassed by Shah Rukh Khan’s My Name is Khan, which earned over Rs 100 crore overseas. But it wasn’t until Dangal’s success in China in 2016 that one Indian film managed to dominate one overseas market quite like Disco Dancer had all those years ago.
Disco Dancer and the 100-crore club
Having established the 100-crore club in 1984, Disco Dancer remained the sole member there for a decade, when it was joined by Hum Aapke Hain Kaun. The Salman Khan-Madhuri Dixit-starrer also broke the film’s record as the highest-grossing Indian film. As of June 2023, there are 107 Hindi films in the club, ranging from blockbusters like Dangal to flops like Thugs of Hindostan. And it all began with Mithun’s gyrations 39 years ago.
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 "A forgotten 1982 classic was the first Hindi film to gross Rs 100 crore")
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