Amitabh Bachchan’s Debut At The Box Office Had A Disastrous Clash With Superstar Rajesh Khanna! ( Photo Credit – YouTube )
Advertisement
It was exactly 55 years ago that Indian Cinema witnessed a box office clash that none imagined would turn historic owing to the stature of the stars involved. However, when they clashed, one of them was the biggest superstar, Rajesh Khanna, and the other was making his debut – Amitabh Bachchan!
Big B VS Rajesh Khanna Box Office
It was 20,090 days ago, 55 years ago, that Big B arrived in Hindi Cinema with his debut film Saat Hindustani on November 7, 1969. However, it was the same day that the biggest superstar of that era, Rajesh Khanna, knocked at the box office with one of his biggest films, Aradhna!
Aradhna VS Saat Hindustani Box Office
Aradhna at the box office opened with 9 lakh. The film was made on a budget of 80 lakh and earned 3.45 crore at the box office. It was the highest-grossing film of 1969. Meanwhile, Saat Hindustani, that marked Amitabh Bachchan’s debut, was made on a budget of 8.5 lakh and earned 8.1 lakh in its lifetime.
Aradhna starred Rajesh Khanna in a double role, along with Sharmila Tagore and Farida Jalal. It was the first Indian film that ran for almost 100 days at the box office, making a record that was never witnessed by the Indian box office. It earned 4220% higher earning at the box office than Amitabh Bachchan’s box office debut!
42 Million Sold Tickets!
Rajesh Khanna‘s blockbuster registered a ticket sales of massive 42 million in its lifetime and earned 7 crore worldwide. Made on a budget of 80 lakh at the box office, it registered a profit of 2.6 crore and a huge 331% return on investment.
However, after a few years, the unbelievable happened when Amitabh Bachchan gradually replaced Rajesh Khanna as the biggest box office star of Indian Cinema and ruled for 2 decades!
Note: Box office numbers are based on estimates and various sदurces. Numbers have not been independently verified by Koimoi.
