In a previous interview with GQ, Rajkummar Rao had said that he’d rather make films that are controlled in terms of production budget. “The bigger the budget, the bigger the risk,” he said, shortly after the release of Bheed, which may not have broken box office records, but “did have the producers make money”. It’s a safer bet to work with controlled production budgets; so there’s greater chances of the movie noshing in enough revenue for producers to “continue making films like these”.
Interestingly, another one of Rajkummar Rao’s movies — the horror-comedy Stree — was made on a comparatively low budget of Rs 20 crore, but went on to become a blockbuster, earning Rs 180.76 crores at the global box office, according to Box Office India.
Like Stree, here are a few other iconic Hollywood and Bollywood movies that were made on low budgets, but went on to gross hundreds of crores at the box office.
10 Hollywood and Bollywood movies made on budgets as low as Rs 49 lakhs and that went on to become blockbusters
1. Stree
Budget: Rs. 20 crores
Box office collection: Rs. 180.76 crore
Stree, a horror-comedy starring Rajkummar Rao and Shraddha Kapoor, is a guaranteed laughter-riot, but it will make you sleep with the lights on. The film, which explores the absurdity of superstition, tradition and gender roles that are rooted in Indian society and culture, follows the antics of the spirit of a woman who picks up unsuspecting men during the annual festival and sprints them away to some godforsaken place. The 2018 film was created on a budget of Rs 20 crore but skyrocketed when it hit theatres, ushering in Rs 180.76 crore in global box office sales, according to News18.
2. Star Wars
Budget: $11 million (approx Rs. 8 crores)