Bollywood’s 10 Low Budget Movies Which Became Blockbusters

9 KAHAANI

Its sequel might have not done that well in 2016, but when ‘Kahaani’ hit theaters in 2012 around Holi festivities, it performed amazingly and emerged as one of the most successful ventures of the year. Starring Vidya Balan in the lead role and Nawazuddin Siddiqui in the supporting role, the Sujoy Ghosh directorial was received extremely well by the critics and audiences. Though the suspense-thriller took off to a slow start at the box-office, with excellent word of mouth pouring in immediately after the first show, the film picked up remarkably and found takers everywhere from metros to small centers, leaving the cash registers jingling.

‘Kahaani’ served on the platter everything that a conventional Hindi film should not have. It had a pregnant protagonist in a completely deglamorized look. No one would had thought there would be a shrewd, revenge seeking woman, Vidya Bagchi, behind that calm and innocent visage. There was an acute lack of masala which typical Bollywood films are known to offer in oodles. Even in the absence of all these important ingredients, the film managed to pull viewers to theaters solely on the basis of its merit, intriguing story, taut direction, and outstanding performances.

Made on a shoestring budget of Rs. 8 crore, the film grossed over Rs 65.00 crore at the domestic box-office. The film was released across 1100 screens worldwide, and if we include its international income, the film globally grossed around Rs. 80.00 crores, which was huge considering its low budget. The overseas business of the film alone beat several bigger and more expensive films, including ‘The Dirty Picture’ starring the same actress as Kahaani, Vidya Balan.

TRIVIA: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, who struggled for 12 years in just small character roles, got a major breakthrough with this film. After the super success of ‘Kahaani’, he became one of the busiest actors.