This unheralded Hindi film sold over 5 crore tickets upon release. No other Bollywood film released since 2000 has even sold 4 crore.
The 100-crore club, as it is known today, is said to have been established in the first half of the 2000s, when Aamir Khan’s Ghajini earned over Rs 100 crore net in India, becoming the first Indian film to do so. Since then, due to inflation and increased ticket costs, the number has become a not-so-big landmark for films. Shah Rukh Khan’s Pathaan crossed the mark in just two days of release, for instance. So the parameter many trade pundits use to gauge a film’s success is the number of tickets sold, or footfalls in theatres. By that metric, many of today’s hits pale in comparisons to successes from the past.
The most watched Hindi film of 21st century
When it comes to footfalls, the Baahubali franchise easily rules the roost among all Indian films of the 21st century, occupying the first two spots. Bollywood is relegated to the third spot. But the film that takes the top spot among Hindi blockbusters isn’t a name that one would usually guess. The most-watched Hindi film of this century is Sunny Deol’s 2001 blockbuster Gadar, which sold 5.05 crore tickets across India upon its release. Interestingly, many had precicted the film would fail and even labelled it a flop ahead of its release. But it proved all naysayers wrong. No Bollywood film has come close since although Baahubali 2’s Hindi version did exceed it.
Top 10 most watched Hindi films of 21st century
While Gadar sits atop the perch, way ahead of all others, there are several other Indian films that have done well since 2000. At number 2 is Dangal with 3.69 crore footfalls, followed by Bajrangi Bhaijaan and PK, both with just over 3.5 crore footfalls. Pathaan rounds off the top five with over 3.25 crore footfalls in India. The second half of the top 10 includes Sultan (3.20 crore), 3 Idiots (3.17 crore), Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (3.11 crore), Tiger Zinda Hai (3.08 crore), and Kaho Na Pyaar Hai (3.06 crore).
Most watched Hindi films of all time
And yet, Gadar’s numbers also fail to impress when viewed against some of the biggest Hindi films ever. For instance, Sholay, the most watched Indian film ever, had footfalls in the range of 15-18 crore in India, followed by Mughal-e-Azam and Mother India, both of which sold over 10 crore tickets. Gadar managed to sneak into the top 10, but behind Hum Aapke Hain Kaun (7.4 crore), Muqaddar Ka Sikandar (6.7 crore), Amar Akbar Anthony (6.2 crore), Kranti (6 crore), Bobby (5.3 crore), and Ganga Jamna (5.2 crore).
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 "Most watched Hindi film of 21st century sold 5 crore tickets")
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