India's most expensive film, budget is thrice that of Jawan, Pathaan; needs to beat RRR, KGF, Animal just to break even

That the budgets of modern Indian films have been climbing rapidly is a known fact. Just a decade ago, making a film in Rs 100 crore was a mammoth task. Today, a Rs 100-crore budget film is often called mid-budget. Some of the most expensive Indian films are now rivalling decent-sized Hollywood productions. One upcoming Indian film, in particular, seems hell-bent on breaking the record again and becoming the most expensive Indian film ever, with a reported budget of over Rs 800 crore.

India’s most expensive film ever is...

As per a new report, Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana is set to become the costliest India film ever, with a reported budget of $100 million (Rs 835 crore). If the report is indeed true, Ramayana will overtake Nag Ashwin’s Kalki 2898 AD, which has a reported budget of Rs 600 crore. Bollywood Hungama quoted a source as saying that Ramayana producer Namit Malhotra wants to make the film as grand as possible. “The $100 million [Rs 835 crores] budget is just for Ramayana: Part One. He plans to expand this further as the franchise grows. The film requires 600 days of post-production work, which in itself speaks volumes about the investment required to create some of the most original visuals on the spectacle. The idea is to take Indian Cinema at a global level,” read the quote.

A fanmade poster of Ramayana

How Ramayana dwarfs even Adipurush and Pathaan

Some of the biggest Indian films made in recent times have budgets ranging from Rs 250-500 crore, much lower than what is projected for Ramayana. For instance, both of Shah Rukh Khan’s blockbusters from last year – Jawan and Pathaan – had budgets under Rs 300 crore, almost one-third of Ramayana’s Rs 835-crore figure. Even Adipurush, the previous big-budget film on Ramayan, was said to have a budget of Rs 500 crore, almost 40% less than Ramayana.

What Ramayana’s high budget means for its box office prospects

A high budget immediately means that any film needs to earn that much more to be a hit. For instance, The Kashmir Files was an all-time blockbuster with Rs 350 crore earnings while Brahmastra Part One was an average grosser despite earning Rs 440 crore. This is because Brahmastra’s budget was 20 times as much as The Kashmir Files’.

Prabhas-starrer Adipurush was the most recent big-screen adaptation of Ramayana

Whether a film is hit or not depends on whether it can earn more than its landing cost (production cost + marketing budget) with its net earnings (after subtracting taxes from gross haul). Trade insiders say that if the Rs 835-crore budget claim is accurate, then the landing cost of Ramayana could be closer to Rs 1000 crore. That means that the film would need to exceed the business of all-time blockbusters like RRR, KGF Chapter 2, and Animal just to break even. The three films had rough net collections of Rs 1050 crore, Rs 1000 crore, and Rs 800 crore respectively.

All about Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana

Ramayana stars Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Rama, Sai Pallavi as Sita, and Sunny Deol as Hanuman. South superstar Yash is associated with the film as a producer but some reports say that he is also playing Ravana in the film. Other actors in the film are Lara Dutta, Arun Govil, Ravi Dubey, and Sheeba Chaddha. The film is currently under production and is set to be released in 2025.

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