5 Box Office Blockbusters That Turned Their Release Into a Nationwide Festival

Yes we’ve been lucky enough to get served several All Time Blockbusters at the box office in the last two decades. We know what it takes for a film to be marked as an ‘All Time Blockbuster’ for it is the pinnacle of what a movie can achieve. But one can’t really help but wonder what’s beyond it? If both Dhoom 3 & 3 Idiots are to be taken as All Time Blockbusters, what remains as the magic that the latter spread in the country?

We kept asking ourselves this until we realized some key differences in the Box Office driven All Time Blockbusters and the ones that were way more. Jogging our memory down some two decades, we could think of five such releases that weren’t just Box Office crusaders, but Nationwide Festivals.

There was something about these releases that filled the air with their flavor, their exuberance & their idiom. While we did come across movies that put up an equally challenging total at the box office if not more, we tried sticking to the five releases that truly made the cinematic industry feel special.

Before we begin detailing about those five movies, please note:

These are our personal choices based on facts along with popular sentiments

A lot of other movies too deserve to be on this list but we wanted to stick with just five

Hum Aapke Hain Koun! (1994)

The film that defied all possible barriers in the 90s, Hum Aapke Hain Koun was a movie that belonged to each Indian household. From Dadi-Nani’s to Uncle-Aunties, everybody you knew had watched this Rajshri film in theaters. While half the country was drooling over Madhuri’s dance and outfits, Salman Khan was being discussed as a commodity in family gatherings. The film without any exaggeration of fact got families queued up in numbers.

HAHK has the highest adjusted gross of all time with more than 600 crores to its name. What it earned back then was only next to being unreal in all the ways. India got united with one common festival that year and it was called ‘Hum Aapke Hain Koun’!

Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995)

The longest running film in the history of Indian cinema, DDLJ remains an experience than a cinematic journey. Raj and Simran wrote a chapter that everyone became party to no matter what. While the box office was writing a new story with each coming day, the country all of a sudden found itself ensuing in the charm of its romance. The songs could be heard in all the streets at any point while the youth was identifying itself in both Raj and Simran. If you haven’t lived in the India during the release of DDLJ, you’ve certainly missed out on a lot.

Gadar: Ek Prem Katha (2001)

There’s no other way to put this but North India saw craziness of the highest order while Gadar was playing. Theaters were no longer bothered to put the ‘House Full’ board down as it didn’t witness audiences, it witnessed crowds. The demand for tickets in Punjab grew so high that theaters screened the movie starting as early as 6 in the morning to absolute packed houses. With 5.05 Crores footfalls, the film broke the record of selling most box office tickets and its box office collections were synonymous to a hurricane. Police in most states in Northern India had to struggle their way to control ‘crowds’, that weren’t willing to leave theater premises without a ticket. All of this happened when this film clashed with another box office hit Lagaan .

3 Idiots (2009)

A lot of subsequent releases may have surpassed achievements set by 3 Idiots, but what this Raju Hirani directorial accomplished was unmatchable. ‘All is Well’ became a National slogan and its lessons laid the most social impact than any other movie in the history of Indian cinema. 3 Idiots was a rescuer to a generation that almost succumbed to the fragility of time. However, this film broke all the myths and collected a staggering 202 crores at a time when the film next in line had only earned 116 crores. 3 Idiots held the record for being the highest ever grosser for a period of four years. No other movie in the decade except Gadar had created the same feels, although in different looks. Have you met anyone around who hasn’t watched 3 Idiots for real?

Baahubali 2: The Conclusion (Hindi Version) (2017)

Even though the original Telugu version outshone every cinematic record set in the country, we will talk about the Hindi version here since it recreated the rare festival like environs. The reason Baahubali 2 ended up being a celebrated festival is attributed to its footfalls. At a time when pulling viewers to theaters is in itself a victory, the SS Rajamouli directorial brought everyone. A large part of what constitutes to its response was the success of the first part but that only got fueled once the film was aired on TV. It was only after decades that all characters in and around a movie became iconic. It was as if people wanted to attach themselves to the movie as they saw history in making. While biggest of Hindi blockbusters struggle to touch the 300 crore mark in India, the dubbed Hindi version of this visual grandeur earned 511 crores. Possibly the most celebrated festival of 2017, the release of Baahubali 2: The Conclusion was an experience!

Even though no other releases could have possibly replicated the atmosphere around the release of these five films, here are some other movies that were celebrated like a festival in India: Raja Hindustani, Border, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Ghajini & Dabangg .

Were you a part of the celebration?