Bollywood has churned out many hits, many duds, many disasters, and many blockbusters as well. The year 2019 has been a mixed bag for Bollywood with big blockbusters like Uri: The Surgical Strike, Gully Boy, Kabir Singh, etc being released. On the Other Hand, there were various duds like Kalank, Student Of The Year 2, Arjun Patiala being released. So How Bollywood fared this year till now?
JANUARY
Uri: The Surgical Strike
Debutante director Aditya Dhar's action drama based on the Uri attacks and the surgical strike operation carried out by the Indian Army was an unprecedented blockbuster at the box office. Starring Vicky Kaushal, Yami Gautam, Paresh Rawal, and Mohit Raina in lead roles the film received positive reviews from critics and audiences. The dialogue How's The Josh spoken by Vicky Kaushal gained huge popularity after the release of the film and has become a pop culture reference.
Budget: 45 Crores INR
Box Office: 243.25 Crores INR
Producer: RSVP Movies
Satellite Rights: Zee
Digital: Zee5
The Accidental Prime Minister
The Accidental Prime Minister a film which was based on the novel of the same name starred Anupam Kher as Ex-PM Manmohan Singh and Akshaye Khanna as Sanjaya Baru. Upon release, the film though received a lot of publicity tanked at the box office due to scathing reviews from critics and audiences.
Budget: 30 crore
Box Office: 15 Crore
Satellite Rights: Zee
Digital: Zee5
Why Cheat India
Emraan Hashmi's Why Cheat India which revolved around the frauds in the Education system received polarising to negative reviews from critics. The film became a box office dud upon its release
Budget: 27 Crore
Box Office: 8.5-9 Crores
Satellite Rights: Star
Digital: Zee5
Manikarnika: The Queen Of Jhansi
Manikarnika: The Queen Of Jhansi starring Kangana Ranaut in the lead as well as co-directing it with Krish was released on the prestigious Republic Day Weekend opened well at the box office. It received mixed reviews from critics and underperformed at the box office due to Uri's juggernaut success
Budget: 125 Crores INR
Box Office: 94.25 Crores INR
Producer: Zee Studios, Kairos Kontent Studios
Satellite Rights: Zee
Digital: Amazon Prime Video
Thackeray
Thackeray the biopic of Shiv Sena supremo Balasaheb 'Bal' Thackeray starring Nawazuddin Siddique as Bal Thackeray opened averagely at the box office. It received average reviews from critics and also received average success at the box office due to its Marathi version becoming a hit. The film was criticized due to its radical views of the character and celebrating the character
Budget: 30 Crore INR
Box Office: 15 Crore INR [Hindi Version]
Satellite Rights: Colors
Digital: Voot
FEBRUARY
Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga
Vidhu Vinod Chopra's production Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga starring Sonam Kapoor, Rajkummar Rao, Anil Kapoor, Juhi Chawla and Regina Cassandra in lead roles received mixed reviews from critics. The film which focused on a novel concept was released among zero expectations and tanked at the box office.
Budget: 35 Crore INR
Box Office: 19 Crore INR
Satellite Rights: Sony
Digital: SonyLIV
Gully Boy
Zoya Akhtar's Gully Boy which is inspired by the lives of independent rap artists Naezy and Divine was a critical and commercial success at the box office. The film which starred Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Kalki Koechlin, etc had a huge opening at the box office. The film also made people notice Rap music and independent rap artists in India.
Budget: 75 Crore
Box Office: 135-140 Crores
Satellite: Zee
Digital: Amazon Prime Video
Total Dhamaal
The 3rd Installment in the Dhamaal franchise Total Dhamaal boasted of a multi-star cast comprising the likes of Ajay Devgn, Anil Kapoor, Madhuri Dixit, Riteish Deshmukh. Arshad Warsi, Javed Jaffrey Sanjay Mishra, etc. Upon release, the film received mixed to negative reviews from critics but was a sizeable box office success. Family audiences especially kids loved the concept of the film which made the film a hit.
Budget: 105 Crore
Box Office: 149-150 Crore
Satellite: Star
Digital: Hotstar
MARCH
Luka Chuppi
Cinematographer turned director Laxman Utekar's directorial debut Luka Chuppi opened to mixed reviews from critics. The film which starred Kartik Aaryan and Kriti Sanon in lead roles opened strongly at the box office due to huge pre-release buzz and chartbuster music. The film was based on the concept of live-in relationships in small cities and towns. The comic angle made sure that the film became a hit.
Budget: 25 Crore
Box Office: 83.25 Crore
Satellite Rights: Star
Digital: Jio-Netflix
Sonchirya
Sushant Singh Rajput and Bhumi Pednekar starrer Sonchirya which was based on the exploits of famed dacoits in the Chambal Valley during the Emergency imposed by Indira Gandhi received strong critical acclaim. Due to its niche content, the film found limited appeal and became a flop at the box office, but has gained prominence due to its digital release.
Budget: 30 Crore
Box Office: 5.5 Crore
Satellite Rights: Zee
Digital: Zee5
Badla
Amitabh Bachchan and Taapsee Pannu starrer Badla which was a remake of the Spanish thriller Contratiempo [The Invisible Guest] was a success both critically and commercially. The Sujoy Ghosh directorial was praised for being a smart and a faithful remake to the original.
Budget: 24 Crore
Box Office: 82.4 Crore
Satellite Rights: Zee
Digital: Netflix
Kesari
Akshay Kumar's war drama directed by Anurag Singh which was based on the war between 21 Sikh soldiers and Afghan militants during the British rule received favorable reviews from critics. The film which was released on the occasion of Holi opened to strong collections and became a super hit at the box office.
Budget: 100 Crore
Box Office: 151 Crore
Satellite Rights: Zee
Digital: Netflix
Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota
Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota a quirky unconventional comedy, directed by Vasan Bala starring Abhimanyu Dasani, Radhika Madan and Gulshan Devaiah in lead roles was a failure in theatrical release but its digital release and satellite rights was a big success with critical acclaim towards its plot
Budget: 3.5-5 Crore
Box Office: 1 crore [Theatrical Only]
Satellite Rights: Zee
Digital: Netflix-Zee5
Junglee
Action star Vidyut Jammwal 's Junglee was directed by Chuck Russell who directed The Mask and Eraser received middling reviews from critics. It garnered praise for its Action sequences but was criticized for a weak story. The film became a flop at the box office.
Budget: 35 Crore
Box Office: 20.35 Crore
Satellite Rights: Star
Digital: Hotstar
Notable releases include Photograph, Fraud Saiyaan, Notebook, Rangeela Raja, etc all these films were box office flops with Notebook and Photograph garnering critical acclaim.
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