
It was in 2001 that Bollywood witnessed one of its biggest clashes at the box office. Sunny Deol’s Gadar fought tooth and nail against Aamir Khan’s Lagaan! But it was also a battle where no one lost and both the teams emerged winners! However, Sunny Deol turned a giant roaring like never before at the box office!
2001 Box Office Top 10 Films!
Sunny Deol delivered the highest-grossing film of 2001 with a collection of 77 crore against a budget of 18 crore. Helmed by Anil Sharma, the drama film based on the partition story of India and Pakistan churned out a profit of 327.78% at the box office surpassing every single Hindi film of that year!
Lagaan VS Gadar Box Office Battle
Lagaan was initially mounted on a budget of 12 crore, which was inflated by 108% during the making of the film, and finally, it reached 25 crore. Against this budget, Aamir Khan‘s period drama could earn only 34.5 crore at the box office, delivering a profit of 38% only!
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Three Reasons For Gadar’s Landslide Victory
Gadar had a landslide victory with 760.5% higher profit than Lagaan! Both films started on a similar note, with Gadar earning 1.35 crore on the opening day and Lagaan bringing 1 crore on day 1. Check out three major reasons for Sunny Deol’s win.
Cricket <<< Patriotism!
Both films had some of the best subjects – one dealt with cricket layered with patriotism, and the other had the intense flavor of Patriotism! However, nationalism and the box office always work like a charm, and Sunny Deol’s film had Patriotism at its peak when he shouted Hindustan Zindabad Tha, Hai Aur Zindabad Rahega!
Handpump & Dhai Kilo Ka Haath!
The winning moment for Gadar arrived with Sunny Deol uprooting an entire handpump for a fight scene! It had an impact far fetched than Lagaan’s Bhuvan winning a cricket match at the last ball!
Music Made A Huge Difference!
Lagaan’s music was composed by AR Rahman and Uttam Singh composed Gadar songs! Both of them were brilliant music albums! But Lagaan’s music was personal and quiet, while Gadar’s music turned a rage with Main Nikla O Gaddi Leke and Udd Ja Kaale Kaawa turning into the tune of the nation in those days!
Clearly, Sunny Deol‘s film had a clear strategic plan, which worked brilliantly for the film, turning it into the highest-grossing film of 2001.
Note: Box office numbers are based on estimates and various sources. Numbers have not been independently verified by Koimoi.
Check out the box office collection and latest verdicts of Hindi Films of 2025 here.
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