In the world of Indian cinema, the gamble of producing big-budget films comes with the peril of colossal financial losses.
The glittering success of a film can often be overshadowed by its mammoth production costs, leaving many to question its profitability.
According to the popular Bollywood media house DNA, such is the case with Brahmastra, a movie that raked in a staggering Rs 400 crore globally but still hesitated to wear the crown of success due to its exorbitant production expenses.
This illustrates a common scenario in Indian cinema, where some of the most expensive films ever made turn out to be box office disasters, with one film standing out as the costliest flop in Indian cinema history, incurring a staggering loss of Rs 225 crore.
The same media also stated that Adipurush, a film based on the epic Ramayan, holds the dubious honor of being the biggest financial catastrophe at the Indian box office.
With a reported budget of Rs 550 crore, Adipurush managed to net Rs 288 crore in India and an additional Rs 35-38 crore overseas, resulting in a worldwide net earnings of approximately Rs 325 crore.
Astonishingly, this colossal production yielded a net loss of Rs 225 crore, though its worldwide gross earnings exceeded Rs 350 crore—this figure, however, includes taxes.
Adipurush faced severe criticism for its loose adaptation of the revered Ramayan and received scathing reviews from both critics and audiences.
The film sparked controversy and led to calls for its ban or boycott, with multiple legal cases filed against its makers, director Om Raut, and dialogue writer Manoj Muntashir for alleged disrespect to religious sentiments.
Consequently, Om Raut and others involved in the film disappeared from the public eye for weeks following its release. The movie featured Prabhas, Kriti Sanon, and Saif Ali Khan in prominent roles.
Before Adipurush's reign, the title of the costliest flop in Indian cinema was held by Radhe Shyam, which suffered an approximate loss of Rs 170 crore at the box office. Interestingly, this film also starred Prabhas, alongside Pooja Hegde.
Other notable films that hemorrhaged money at the box office include Samrat Prithviraj (Rs 140 crore loss), Shamshera (Rs 100 crore loss), Telugu film Acharya (Rs 80 crore loss), Kannada film Kabzaa (Rs 80 crore loss), Aamir Khan’s Laal Singh Chaddha (Rs 70 crore loss), and Thugs of Hindostan (Rs 60 crore loss).