In our highest grosser of the year analysis over 73 years, starting in 1947 to present day, there have been some clear winners–some quite unexpected but nevertheless very deserving. The rankest king of them all being Salman Khan who claimed his spot at number one with 10 movies on the list- that’s 35%! He narrowly beats out Dilip Kumar (2nd place) who also has 9 films and Aamir Khan (3rd) who has 7 films respectively. Together they compose 26 movies total or 35% while taking all decades into consideration–not bad! But it just goes to show you how someone can always topple an old reigning king no matter what time period you’re looking at this through.
1947 to 1949 – The rise of Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor
Post-independence for 3 years was an era dominated by the young sensation of that time, Dilip Kumar. He earned his spot as a superstar after releasing two out of the top three films in 1947 and 1948 respectively – Jugnu and Shaheed. This put him at direct competition with fellow showman Raj Kapoor – who only managed to release one film during this time period; Barsaat. And for those next few years after 1947, it was clear that these two actors were vying for attention from Indian moviegoers.
1950 to 1959 – The dominance of Raj Kapoor and the era of women dominated films
With Dilip Kumar establishing himself as a fame tragedian, Raj Kapoor took over with three top grossers of the year in 1952 – 1959. While Nirupa Roy established herself and made it onto Anari’s list for 1953 as well; she hardly does anything other than starring in threes during these years. However, major male actors were relatively inactive during these years, instead making actresses such as Hemwanti Roy and Vyjayantimala Bali the absolute goddesses they were known to be to this day thanks to movies like ‘Nagin’ (1954) or Mother India (1957).
Despite Surili Rathore managing an honorable mention on Awara after some good screen time with her; most women continued being glorified up until 1957 before males resurfaced as main characters. But even so there was always one exception each year – which proves true even today – that usually put a female protagonist front and centre for marketing reasons.
1960 to 1969 – Dharmendra makes a smashing entry, as Dilip Kumar continues to rule the box-office
One might not be able to account for everyone but it is safe to say that stars from the 1960s like Dharmendra and Rajesh Khanna were among the highest earning Bollywood stars. Contrary to what most people would think, these actors’ peers – Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor – also maintained this position, albeit off-screen for long periods of time. As for Yash Chopra’s star leading actor Rajesh Khanna who showed immense potential in 1967, he went on a run where he had five consecutive hits starting with hit film ‘Aradhana’ (1969). But despite his lacklustre performance during much of the rest of the decade and eventual exit from cinema, both movies ‘Phool Aur Patthar’ (1966) and ‘Aankhen’ (1967) which were made near the beginning of his career proved him worthy enough of remaining an influential figure despite public sentiment changing course towards younger actors over time.
1970 to 1979 – The decade of Amitabh Bachchan with Dharmendra consolidating his position
The 1970s were a time when movies such as Roti Kapda Aur Makaan (1974), Sholay (1975), Amar Akbar Anthony (1977), Mukaddar Ka Sikandar (1978) and Suhaag (1979) were released. The movies from this decade are widely remembered for Amitabh Bachchan being the lead star who played characters in every one of these films at some point in his early career. Although, it was Dharmendra who starred alongside him in Sholay – which happened to be India’s highest grossing film at the time, he only appeared in half the movie with most of the scenes featuring just Mr. Bachchan. In comparison to Dharamji – Mr. Bachchan had more varied roles and produced an extended legacy which continues even now among many fans of Indian cinema today.
In the 1970s, Dharmendra had two of his highest grossing movies in Seeta Aur Geeta and Sholay. In comparison to this, Rajesh Khanna’s Haathi Mere Saathi is undoubtedly one of his most successful films for its immense popularity all over India. Although there are those who would argue that many people consider Seeta Aur Geeta a Hema Malini film rather than a Dharmendra film – especially given the fact that she played both parts – if we take into consideration how often people watch these movies, then Mera Gaon mera Desh becomes Dharmendra’s third highest grossing movie during this time period.
1980 to 1989 – Dilip Kumar’s comeback, Amitabh Bachchan’s stability and a record entry for Saman Khan
80’s was a rather mixed of mix when it came to every film success. Dilip Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan, and others were able to return to acting after retiring for some time but unfortunately weren’t able to consistently land the top-grossing movie award- however this wasn’t true for all actors like Jeetendra, Vinod Khanna, and Dharmendra who found success in only 1 film throughout their careers. But regardless of this mishap due entirely because it meant two stars rose up during these years: Salman Khan and Aamir Khan. Although these two actors had 2 very different beginnings–Aamir Khan won over audiences even if they weren’t originally his while Salman became wildly successful with his 1989 debut ‘Maine Pyara Kiya’ which not only landed at number 1 but also recorded the highest box office numbers within its decade- neither would ever see an end in fortune.
Stay tuned for part 3 of the highest grosser of the year series, as we take you through SRK’s incredible popularity, Hritik’s controversial return and Aamir’s unstoppable power.
