India’s biggest films: The Dhurandhar fever is still reigning the box office, and as it becomes 2025’s biggest film, the Ranveer Singh-Akshaye Khanna spy-thriller entered the Rs 1000 crore club this week. Standing among the big leagues, Dhurandhar lists alongside regional heavyweights RRR and Baahubali. However, they are not India’s biggest film ever. In fact, it’s not even a Bollywood icon Shah Rukh Khan starrer.
While he may not be Bollywood’s richest Khan, he has surely given India its biggest blockbuster. He is Aamir Khan. Aamir Khan’s Dangal is the biggest blockbuster of India, as per Sacnilk data. With a worldwide gross of over Rs 2000 crore, Dangal was not only a hard-hitting biopic, but a cultural moment which influenced memes, social media, and Bollywood overall.
How did Dangal become India’s biggest film?
Dangal’s unmatched box office record from 2016 became a mystery which Oscar-winner RRR and cult-favourite Baahubali couldn’t unravel. Reports suggest that it was the unpredictable box office boost from China which helped Dangal reach its unbeatable. While Aamir Khan declined to reveal the exact number, Sacnilk revealed that it grossed Rs 2009 crore during its theatrical run. In fact, it was a Christmas release in 2016 for the Indian audience, but ignited globally in the May 2027 release. Called ‘Shuai Jiao Baba’ it became China’s biggest foreign film for months.
In India, Dangal earned Rs 387 crore in India, while it collected over Rs 1000 crore from China. Driven by Aamir Khan’s celebrity status, the iconic social message, and the intensely engaging tussle kept fans engrossed. Coming back after Raju Hirani and Aamir Khan’s cult-film 3 Idiots, Dangal built its own hype. Heavy promotions and a high-energy China tour were also a few reasons Dangal sent waves through the global box office. It dominated Indian screens against a few of Hollywood’s biggest franchises, The Avengers and Jurassic World.
Indian films in the Rs 1000 crore club
While the top spot has been held by Dangal since 2016, Baahubali 2: The Conclusion ranked second with a Rs 1788 crore box office record. Allu Arjun’s Pusha: The Rule Part 2 overshadowed Ram Charan’s RRR by a margin of over Rs 500 crore. While the Prabhas-Ram Charan Oscar awardee made Rs 1230 crore during its theatrical run, Pushpa 2 grossed Rs 1742 crore, coming in close for the second spot.
It must be noted that only three films from the top seven are from Bollywood. Ranking below Yash’s KGF Chapter 2 (Rs 1215 crore), are Shah Rukh Khan’s biggest films post-COVID. Marking his 2023 comeback after a years-long hiatus proved fruitful as the films, Jawan and Pathaan, grossed over Rs 2300 crore combined, but also won him a National Award. Kalki 2898, featuring Deepika Padukone, Amitabh Bachchan and Prabhas, ranked seventh with its Rs 1042 crore lifetime box office collection. Ranveer Singh’s Dhurandhar is the newest entrant to the list.
