This hit from the 1980s was India's most successful film overseas for 30 years. Even the likes of DDLJ, Baahubali, RRR, and Jawan could not break its record.
These days, the highest grossing Indian films routinely cross $100 million globally (currently around Rs 825 crore). This year, Shah Rukh Khan’s Jawan and Pathaan have both crossed the mark while last year, RRR and KGF Chapter 2 had. The list of India’s $100-million hits is ever increasing. But contrary to popular opinion, the $100 million club did not begin recently. In fact, the first Indian film to breach the mark was released over four decades ago. And the film was the highest-grossing Indian film overseas for 30 years with several blockbusters failing short of its landmark haul.
The first Indian film to gross $100 million
It was Disco Dancer, Mithun Chakraborty’s mega hit from 1982, that became the first Indian film to earn $100 million worldwide. The film was a success in India but it was its mega hit status overseas that propelled its box office numbers. In the mid-1980s, Mithun Chakraborty’s Disco Dancer released in the Soviet Union, which was at that time the biggest overseas market for Indian films. Up till then, the film had been a hit in India but had not quite set the cash registers ringing abroad. Its Russian release changed that. The film sold a whopping 12 crore tickets in the Soviet Union, earning 60 million roubles ) (roughly $75.86 million or Rs 94.28 crore). This not only made Disco Dancer the first Indian film to cross Rs 100 crore (it had earned Rs 6.4 crore domestically) but also made it India’s biggest overseas hit. And it did all this with a moderate production budget of just Rs 2 crore.
How Disco Dancer remained India’s biggest overseas hit
Disco Dancer had overtaken blockbusters like Awara and Caravan to be India’s biggest overseas hit with collections of $75.85 million outside India. Due to inflation, its Rupee earnings overseas were surpassed a decade later when Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge earned over Rs 100 crore abroad. But in dollar-terms, no film came close as DDLJ’s dollar earnings were just around $40 million. Baahubali 2 earned $59 million, PK $53 million, and My Name is Khan way behind at $23 million. RRR, which was a sensation in the US and Japan, earned $45 million overseas.
How Disco Dancer was dethroned
It wasn’t until 2016 when Bajragi Bhaijaan got its China release that Disco Dancer lost its top spot. The Salman Khan-starrer earned $80 million overseas (including China), dethroning Disco Dancer. Since then, two Indian films have earned over $100 million overseas. Aamir Khan’s Dangal sits at the top with $238 million gross abroad while the actor’s Secret Superstar is second with $140 million. Both the films did exceptionally well in China. Without China, Shah Rukh Khan’s Pathaan and Jawan are the highest-grossing Indian films overseas with earnings of $49 million and $46 million respectively.
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 "Disco Dancer was revived as a musical recently")
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