Headlined by the late Irrfan Khan and the Pakistani actress Saba Qamar, the 2017 comedy drama Hindi Medium is one of the most profitable Hindi films. The film was directed by Saket Chaudhary, who hasn’t helmed any feature film in the last eight years.
A still from Hindi Medium
From Ayushmann Khurrana and Tabu-starrer Sriram Raghavan’s black comedy crime thriller Andhadhun to Vidya Balan-led, Sujoy Ghosh-directed suspense thriller Kahaani, there have been many low-budget Bollywood films that have smashed the box office records and earned hundreds of crores. Another addition to this list is the 2017 comedy drama Hindi Medium, that was headlined by the late Irrfan Khan and had the Pakistani actress Saba Qamar as the leading lady in her Bollywood debut. The film also starred Deepak Dobriyal, Amrita Singh, Tillotama Shome, Neelu Kohli, and Rajesh Kumar in pivotal roles.
Based on the Indian education system and its obsession with the English language, Hindi Medium was loved by the audiences and critics for the brilliant performances, humour, sharp writing, and the social message. The film was released in the cinemas on May 19, 2017, and became a sleeper hit in India. Made in just Rs 15 crore, the Irrfan Khan-starrer earned Rs 70 crore net in India and grossed Rs 110 crore worldwide. When Hindi Medium was released in China on April 4, 2018, the film broke several box-office records and became a blockbuster, minting Rs 220 crore in the foreign nation. Thus, the final worldwide gross earnings of Hindi Medium were Rs 330 crore. It turned out to be one of the most profitable Hindi films.
Hindi Medium was produced by Dinesh Vijan and Bhushan Kumar under their banner Maddock Films and T-Series. The film was directed by Saket Chaudhary. Saket had previously directed the 2006 romantic comedy Pyaar Ke Side Effects and its 2014 sequel Shaadi Ke Side Effects. He did direct a segment in the anthology film Ankahi Kahaniya, which released on Netflix in 2021, but Saket hasn’t directed a feature film since Hindi Medium in the last eight years.
At the 63rd Filmfare Awards in 2018, Hindi Medium won Best Film and Irrfan Khan won Best Actor. A spiritual sequel titled Angrezi Medium was Irrfan Khan’s final film to be released in the theatres in March 2020 before his untimely death in April 2020. The Homi Adajania directorial also starred Kareena Kapoor Khan, Radhika Madan, Dimple Kapadia, Deepak Dobriyal, and Pankaj Tripathi. Irrfan Khan won the Best Actor for Angrezi Medium posthomosuly at the 66th Filmfare Awards in 2021.
