Shah Rukh Khan Might Be Ruling The Box Office Now, But Madhubala, At The Age Of 15, Delivered Bollywood’s 1st Horror Blockbuster, Registering A 1552% Profit & 200+ Crore Lifetime Collection (Inflation Adjusted)
It was not Shah Rukh Khan, years ago Madhubala was the first superstar to deliver B'wood's first blockbuster, giving a 1552% gross profit.
Madhubala Delivered Bollywood’s First Horror Blockbuster In 1949 With Mahal ( Photo Credit – IMDb )
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Bollywood today is all about numbers and clubs. Currently, we see Shah Rukh Khan claiming the throne of the Box Office king, breaking every record that existed with the Jawan Box Office. However, it was not always the same. The film industry has always managed to gain numbers, the only difference being the talk. Earlier, numbers were not talked about and celebrated, so we decided to celebrate Madhubala’s achievement of giving the first Horror blockbuster in India.
Yes, you read that right. Before celebrating Halloween was cool and films like Nuns and Exorcist ruled the Indian Box Office, Madhubala was the OG horror queen who delivered the first horror blockbuster of the Hindi Cinema in 1949.
We all remember her singing Aayega Aanewala. Lata Mangeshkar‘s haunting voice and Madhubala’s raw and petite self walking through the hallways of a palace. The actress was just 15 when she was cast in the film starring Ashok Kumar. Madhubala nailed the role of Kamini, and the film, which was Kamal Amrohi’s debut as a director, worked like magic.
Mahal was produced by Bombay Talkies, and it was made on a budget of 9 lakh. Almost 12-14 crore if adjusted according to the inflation. Mahal collected a whopping 70 lakh net at the Box office and was the third highest-grossing film of 1949 after Barsaat and Andaz. The film collected almost 200+ crore gross in today’s age.
If inflations (which varied at a fast pace) are put to an approximation, then Mahal, with a 200+ crore gross box office, earned a staggering profit of more than 1500%. This was the first and probably the most profitable horror film in Bollywood.
The film established both Lata Mangeshkar and Madhubala in the industry. Many themes of the film were repeated several times in various films, one of them being Shah Rukh Khan’s Om Shanti Om as well.
Before the box office hurricane of films like Pathaan, Jawan, Gadar, KGF, Pushpa, RRR, and others, Mahal was among the top 100 highest-grossing films of the Indian Cinema till 2020. However, the box office got a major boost in the last few years, with Indian movies dominating numbers globally.
Mahal, in 1949, made on a budget of a mere 9 lakh and earned 1.25 crore gross. The film was made at a time when Bombay Talkies was struggling, and the film struggled with its basic cost, with director Kamal Amrohi using props from his personal collection. But all paid end in the well, we guess.
Note: Box office numbers are based on estimates and various sources. Numbers have not been independently verified by Koimoi.
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