The sky is the limit for some filmmakers who leave no stone unturned to bring their aesthetic vision to life. And doing that entails a huge sum of money. Some of the biggest films have been made on gobsmacking production budgets, but which is India’s most expensive movie? Hint: It’s not Adipurush, RRR or 2.0…
This upcoming multi-starrer is now India’s most expensive movie
India’s most expensive movie right now is Ramayana. Headlined by Ranbir Kapoor, the Nitesh Tiwari directorial is being mounted on a colossal budget of Rs 835 crore or $100 million, according to Bollywood Hungama and News18. Ramayana is a trilogy, and the budget mentioned above has been allocated only to the first instalment. Future instalments might see an even bigger production budget.
Reportedly, Ramayana will require 600 days of post-production work, in order to create original visuals and make way for a breathtaking cinema experience. According to the Times of India, Ranbir Kapoor — who headlines Ramayana as Lord Ram — is earning Rs 75 crore for each instalment. This means the Animal star will be taking home Rs 225 crore for the Ramayana trilogy.
On the other hand, Sai Pallavi — who will bring Sita to life in Ramayana — is earning Rs 6 crore for the first instalment. For the entire trilogy, the actress will be taking home between Rs 18-20 crore, according to Times of India.
As India’s most expensive movie, Ramayana trilogy has found a co-producer in Yash.
Ramayana also stars Sunny Deol as Hanuman, Sakshi Tanwar as Mandodari, Lara Dutta as Kaikeyi, Naveen Polishetty as Lakshman and Arun Govil as Raja Dashrath. The first instalment of Ramayana trilogy is expected to release in 2027.
Other most expensive movies in India
Before Ramayana, Prabhas starrer Adipurush was India’s most expensive movie. It was made on a gigantic production budget of Rs 500-700 crore, according to DNA India and Economic Times. Jr NTR and Ram Charan starrer RRR — which won the Oscar for Best Original Song (Naatu Naatu) — was mounted on a budget of Rs 450-550 crore, according to India Today and Yahoo Movies UK.
Rajinikanth and Akshay Kumar starrer 2.0 was also allocated a huge budget of Rs 400-600 crore, according to Outlook. In Bollywood, the Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt starrer Brahmastra's production cost was Rs 375-410 crore, according to Box Office India and India Today.