The most expensive Indian TV show ever made had a budget of Rs 500 crore, much higher than Baahubali, Pathaan, or even Brahmastra.
Over the years, as Indian films have become grander and more expansive, television shows lagged behind. For the better part of the 1990s and 2000s, the scale of Indian TV shows did not grow much. However, that has changed over the last decade, particularly with the arrival of OTT. Today, the biggest Indian TV shows have budgets that rival Bollywood blockbusters. In fact, the most expensive Indian TV show has a budget higher than all but three Indian films ever made.
The most expensive Indian TV show
The most expensive Indian television show began airing in 2017, and as per reports, had a massive budget of Rs 500 crore. Even conservative estimates from within the industry state that the show’s overall production cost was around Rs 400 crore. This means that it’s budget was higher than mega-budget Indian films like Pathaan (Rs 250 crore), Baahubali 2 (Rs 250 crore), and even Brahmastra (Rs 375 crore). In fact, only two films – RRR and Adipurush – have budgets higher than this. The show, in question, is Porus, which aired on Sony TV from November 2017 to November 2018.
Porus’ massive budget
Produced by One Life Studios, when Porus was announced in mid-2017, it was reported by the Times of India that the show had been planned for 260 episodes and would have a production budget exceeding Rs 1 crore per episode. In the end, the show aired for 299 episodes and its production budget, as per multiple reports, touched Rs 500 crore. The show starred Laksh Lalwani as the titular King Porus, with a support cast including Rohit Purohit, Rati Pandey, Aditya Redij, Sameksha, Sunny Ghanshani, and Suhani Dhanki. The budget of the show was high due to large sets, spending on CGI, massive scale that involved battle sequences with thousands of extras, and outdoor shooting schedules.
Most expensive Indian TV shows
Before Porus, the most expensive Indian TV show was another historical drama – Suryaputra Karn, which was made on a budget of Rs 250 crore as per an Indian Express report. Among non-fiction shows, Salman Khan’s Bigg Boss is the most expensive Indian title, with expenditure of up to Rs 300 crore on the latest season. Historical and mythological shows, as well as the newly popular supernatural dramas populate the list of most expensive Indian TV shows. The top 10 list includes Devon Ke Dev Mahadev, 24, Jodha Akbar, Yudh, Warrior High, as well as reality show Khatron Ke Khiladi.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "The most expensive Indian TV show had a budget of Rs 500 crore; it's not Bigg Boss or Naagin")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}