The Hindi film industry according to many has been dominated by the three Khans – Salman, Aamir and Shah Rukh for over a decade. But in reality, it is only Salman and Aamir who have been part of the majority of blockbusters in the last decade or so. Three films of Salman and Aamir each are among the 10 that have made the maximum worldwide collections. Sadly, for Shah Rukh fans, none of his films in the last decade feature in the list.
Among the Aamir Khan films that have gained worldwide recognition are Dangal, PK and Secret Superstar. On the other hand Salman Khan’s Bajrangi Bhaijan, Sultan and Tiger Zinda Hai have been runaway hits not only in India, but across the globe.
Here’s a look at the films that have grossed the maximum in the last decade. This list is based on worldwide collections and explains why a film like Secret Superstar, which didn’t break any records at the domestic box office makes the list.
Dangal(2016)
Cast: Aamir Khan, Fatima Sana Shaikh, Zaira Wasim and Sanya Malhotra
This is the story of how real-life wrestler Mahavir Singh Phogat trained his daughters Geeta and Babita into medal-winning wrestling champs, defying social stigma. Dangal broke every record there was. It made over Rs 538 crore in India and Rs 1,430 overseas, thus taking the worldwide collections to over Rs 1,968 crore.
Baahubali: The Conclusion(2017)
Cast: Prabhas, Rana Daggubati, Anushka Shetty, Sathyaraj, Ramya Krishnan
The film which most captured the public imagination was Baahubali: The Conclusion. It was the second part of director SS Rajamouli’s magnum opus period piece. The multilingual film became the highest earner in India with Rs 510 crore and its total collection stood approximately at Rs 1,810 worldwide.
Bajrangi Bhaijaan (2015)
Cast: Salman Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Harshaali Malhotra, Nawazuddin Siddiqui
This film will be best remembered due to Salman Khan’s powerful portrayal and the role played by the little Harshaali Malhotra who donned the coat of a speech-impaired Pakistani girl. Bajrangi Bhaijaan collected over Rs 444 crore domestically and over Rs 918 crore worldwide.
Secret Superstar (2016)
Cast: Aamir Khan, Zaira Wasim, Meher Vij, Raj Arjun
This Advait Chandan effort simply blew the audience away. It conveyed the message that if one has a will it will definitely have a way. It made on Rs 81 crore in the domestic circuit, but then Aamir Khan introduced the China factor where it turned out to be a huge smash. Its worldwide collection stands at Rs 875 crore.
PK (2015)
Cast: Aamir Khan, Anushka Sharma, Sanjay Dutt and Sushant Singh Rajput
Directed by Rajkumar Hirani the film PK, is a quirky take on religion and superstition. It had no trouble at all at the box office, making over Rs 473 at home and over Rs 769 crore worldwide. PK was also the first Indian film to cross the over Rs 300-crore mark.
Baahubali: The Beginning (2016)
Cast: Prabhas, Rana Daggubati, Ramya Krishnan, Sathyaraj, Anushka Shetty
The film began it all for actor Prabhas, part one of Rajamouli’s fantasy epic was filled with state of the art special effects that helped create magnificent battle scenes and jaw-dropping sequences. The National Award-winning film made Rs 650 crore worldwide.
Sultan(2016)
Cast: Salman Khan, Anushka Sharma, Randeep Hooda
Sultan released in the same year as Dangal; thankfully there was enough gap between the two. And it was certainly to everyone’s benefit as both were films on wrestling. Sultan, made Rs 417 crore in India with worldwide collections of Rs 614 crore.
Sanju(2018)
Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Sonam Kapoor, Manisha Koirala, Paresh Rawal, Anushka Sharma, Vicky Kaushal
This problematic biopic of Sanjay Dutt was criticised at various levels, but then who cares for criticism when the coffers get filled quickly. Ranbir Kapoor’s near-perfect portrayal of Sanjay Dutt helped Sanju make Rs 34.75 on its opening day – a personal best for Ranbir. Sanju earned Rs 439 crore in India and its worldwide collections were over Rs 586 crore.
Padmaavat (2018)
Cast: Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh, Shahid Kapoor, Aditi Rao Hydari
At one point of time so many controversies hit the cast and crew of Padmaavat that it seemed unlikely that the film would ever hit the screens. The controversy snowballed into violence – director Sanjay Leela Bhansali was assaulted, sets attacked, threats were made against Deepika Padukone – but Padmaavat eventually saw the light of the day raking in Rs 387 crore in India with worldwide earnings of Rs 571 crore.
Tiger Zinda Hai (2017)
Cast: Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Paresh Rawal, Anupriya Goenka, Angad Bedi
The Salman magic worked once more again. Sequels usually turn out to be a flop but not this one. Tiger Zinda Hai made over Rs 434 crore at home and Rs 129 crore in international markets, thus bringing the worldwide collections to Rs 564 crore.
PNN & Agencies