2022 is in the past and as we embark upon a new year, it is also time for us to reflect back at what the previous one had to offer.
The year was especially remarkable for Indian cinema beyond just Hindi films, as we saw several non-Hindi or non-Bollywood films take over the box office and earn acclaim from the masses, like we’d never seen before.
The mass acceptance of artists and films beyond just the popular faces and names of B-town opened and array of opportunities, which resulted in some of the most remarkable cinematic moments of the year.
But Bollywood could not achieve anything groundbreaking at the box office, that could be something in the lines of Aamir Khan’s PK or Dangal or Salman Khan’s Bajrangi Bhaijaan or Prem Ratan. No film had that universal acceptance, that could create history – as nearly every big budget venture, which was anticipated for long – like Laal Singh Chaddha or Samrat Prithviraj, failed at the box office.
Nevertheless, taking all films into account here are the top 10 highest grossing Indian films of 2022:
10) Beast
Tamil language film ‘Best’ kick starts this list at number 10. Vijay and Pooja Hegde starrer this film was made on a budget of 150 crores, and it went on to gross – 236 crore worldwide.
9) Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2
A sequel to Akshay Kumar’s original Bhool Bhulaiyaa which starred Kartik Aryan and gave him a career-making film and success. Horror-comedy genre was further explored in this film like the original on a budget of 65 crore which went on to momentarily end the dry spell in Bollywood mid-year grossing over 266 crore worldwide.
8) Drishyam 2
Drishyam’s sequel starring the original led by – Ajay Devgn, Drishyam 2 was an even bigger success. The budget of the film was around 50 crores and it went on to gross over 339 crore ki kamai kari.
7) The Kashmir Files
One of the most unexpected blockbusters of the year – The Kashmir Files. Vivek Agnihotri – the director who helmed this project, curated it on a small budget of 15 crore but the film’s reception became quite a mass movement, making it gross over 340 crore at the box office. The film really became a movement at the box office.
6) Vikram
Kamal Haasan’s critically acclaimed action thriller, which became a Pan India success. This high-voltage film was made on a budget of 115 crore and it went on to gross a staggering – 425 crore.
5) Brahmastra
The highest grosser among Hindi films this year was – Brahmastra. But the budget of this film was so huge that it remained a question whether the film should be considered a success story or not. Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt’s film was reportedly made on a whopping budget of 400 crore and it’s worldwide box office amounted to nearly 431 crore.
4) Kantara
This can perhaps be called the biggest success stories of Indian cinema in terms of it’s cost-to-profit ratio. Originally made in Kannada language on a budget of only 16 crore, the film became a major hit across multiple languages in India, amassing 450 crore in the box office.
3) Ponniyin Selvan: I
Chola Dynasty’s saga – brought to life courtesy of the larger-than-life vision of filmmaker Mani Ratnam. This historical drama was curated on a budget of 210 crore and it grossed a total of 500 crore at the box office.
2) RRR
2022’s most popular Indian film, which garnered an unprecedented level of adoration and attention from American audiences eventually leading it to it’s many victorious moments in international awards. SS Rajamouli’s RRR was made on a staggering budget of 425 crore – making it the most expensive Indian film ever, and it went on to gross nearly 1200 crore.
1) KGF 2
KGF part 1’s much-awaited sequel which was released with a lot of hype and fervor. This film was created on a budget of 150 crores and it went on to gross 1228 crore in 2022.
The competition remained neck-to-neck for the total tally between RRR and KGF 2, which had a marginal gross difference, and it likely that RRR may overtake it eventually with it’s continued run in international markets, especially after it goes on to win foreign accolades.
It is safe to say that Bollywood does not have monopoly over Indian moviegoers anymore but at the end of the day it means an vast variety of content to choose from for Indian cinephiles.
So, all’s well.