Not Prabhas’ Baahubali, This Is The First South Indian Blockbuster Dubbed In Hindi That Registered Higher Profit At Box Office Than 277 Crore RRR – Rewinding To 1948!
Baahubali might be the most popular pan-India film in South India, but the first film that was dubbed in Hindi performed better than RRR - Read interesting trivia.
The First South Indian Film Dubbed In Hindi Performed Better Than RRR At The Box Office (Photo Credit – IMDb)
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South Indian films earned a pan-India status a few years back when SS Rajamouli arrived with his beast Prabhas, who overnight shot to global stardom thanks to the epic action entertainer that was shot in Tamil and Telugu and later dubbed and released in Hindi.
However, Baahubali is not the first film that started a wave of dubbed South Indian films released in Hindi theaters. The same wave happened in the 90s as well when Mani Ratnam’s Roja arrived in the theaters.
But do you know which was the first South Indian film that was dubbed in Hindi and released in theaters as a Hindi film? It was neither Baahubali nor Roja. But the roots of dubbed South Indian films in Hindi go back to as early as the 40s!
The first South Indian film that was dubbed in Hindi originally belongs to Kollywood. No, do not guess it to be a Rajinikanth film. We just told you it routes back to the 40s! So, in 1948, there was a Tamil film called Chandralekha, which was loved and appreciated. Owing to the positive response, the film was dubbed in Hindi and released in North India as well.
Whopping 118% Profit
Chandralekha was made on a budget of around 32 lakh and earned somewhere close to 70 lakh in Hindi and 88 lakh in Tamil. In fact, it was also released overseas in Paris, New York, Los Angeles, Tokyo, and Rome. The film collected 52 lakh overseas. The film, in Hindi, registered a profit of almost 118%. This figure is better than SS Rajamouli‘s RRR, which registered a profit of 113%, earning 227 crore at the box office.
What Was Chandralekha About?
Chandralekha was a story about two princes falling for the same woman from a village who belonged to a dance troupe. While she falls for one of the prince, the other tries to woo her at any cost. An interesting and dramatic story follows while the much in love escapes and is on a hideout trying to live life as disguised characters. The film was produced by the famous Gemini Studios.
Note: Box office numbers are based on estimates and various sources. Numbers have not been independently verified by Koimoi.
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