Devdas Box Office: Sanjay Leela Bhansali Spent 50% Budget On Sets Alone, Only To Deliver The Most Expensive Indian Film (Then) With Fruitful 127% Higher Earnings Worldwide!
Sanjay Leela Bhansali took a huge risk with Devdas, which was the most expensive Indian film but turned to be a huge box office success!
Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s directorial Devdas is special for so many reasons. From its grandeur to its powerful cast and Shreya Ghoshal‘s debut in Bollywood, there are many reasons to be grateful for. Shah Rukh Khan and Aishwarya Rai led the period romantic drama, which was the most expensive film until 2002. But do you know how much it earned at the worldwide box office? Scroll below for a detailed analysis.
Devdas featured an ensemble cast of Shah Rukh Khan, Madhuri Dixit, Aishwarya Rai, Jackie Shroff, Kirron Kher, Smita Jaykar, and Vijayendra Ghatge. It was the first-ever Indian film to be featured at the Cannes Film Festival and is considered one of the greatest movies ever made in the history of cinema.
Devdas Budget
According to Box Office India, Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s period drama cost a staggering 44 crores. It was the most expensive Indian film until 2002. Approximately 20 crores, which is almost the estimated cost, was splurged on the grand sets alone.
Madhuri Dixit, aka Chandramukhi’s kotha, was made on a budget of 12 crores. On the other hand, Sanjay Leela Bhansali spent 1.2 lakh pieces of stained glasses on Aishwarya Rai, aka Paro’s house, which cost around 3 crores.
The other expenses included Madhuri Dixit’s outfits, each of which was priced at around Rs 15 lakhs. Additionally, 600 sarees were brought for Aishwarya Rai. Approximately 700 lightmen worked on the sets of Devdas, with a record of 42 generators.
Devdas Box Office Collections (India)
The risk paid off really well! Upon its release, Devdas turned out to the highest grossing film of 2002. It garnered around 68.19 crores gross at the Indian box office. The returns of 24.9 crores during that time were a huge deal, and Sanjay Leela Bhansali truly recreated history in Indian cinema with the number of milestones Shah Rukh Khan starrer achieved during its run.
Devdas Worldwide Collections
The film was also a massive success in overseas markets! It minted 31.68 crores gross from the international circuits, thus taking the worldwide collections to 99.87 crores gross.
This means Devdas ended up earning around 127% higher earnings globally, compared to its budget of 44 crores.
A clean hit at the box office!
Note: Box office numbers are based on estimates and various sources. Numbers have not been independently verified by Koimoi.
