The List is out of the top highest-grossing Indian movies of 2022.
Witnessing the latest shift in the trend of south Indian movies occupying the center stage of the box office, the world rejoiced at the wondrous spectacles the industry offered.
Post the coronavirus pandemic, a large number of people have found themselves falling out of the love they harbored for visiting the cinemas to watch a movie. Thankfully, 2022 has managed to revive that affection and reinstate the reason for the general crowd to savor the purgation that comes about only when the senses indulge in the big screen.
The revival of cinema-going seems to be a gradual process that is bound to take some time. Till the time that comes through, let’s hope that the world does not witness any more calamities like COVID.
Some major blockbusters like RRR, KGF: Chapter Two, Brahmastra: Part One – Shiva, and some movies failed to make a statement on the big screens like Laal Singh Chaddha , Vikram Vedha , Shamshera , among others.
However, let us shift our attention towards the top 15 movies that took the box office by a thunderous storm; at least in terms of the collections that they mustered in India and worldwide.
K.G.F: Chapter 2
Starring the likes of Yash, Sanjay Dutt, Raveena Tandon, and Srinidhi Shetty, K.G.F: Chapter 2 was originally shot in Kannada and then dubbed into various languages, including Hindi. The movie’s immense success came as no surprise to the audience after the inroads made by the first chapter that appeared in 2018. The budget for shooting for K.G.F: Chapter 2 was estimated to be around 100 crores, and the film went on to gross nine times the making cost, with domestic earnings of a whopping 900 crore. To add more to the awe, it earned another 300 crores from regions except for India. K.G.F: Chapter 2 is the highest-grossing movie for 2022.
RRR
Another blockbuster performance from the south of India, RRR is a Telugu film that stars Ram Charan, N.T. Rama Rao Jr., Ajay Devgn, Alia Bhatt, and Ray Stevenson. RRR went on to be the most expensive make of 2022, with the budget crossing over 500 crores. Naturally, the movie had a mountain to climb in terms of the profit that they had to gross. But fret not when you have mega stars like Ram Charan, NTR, followed by two best in Bollywood- Alia Bhatt and Ajay Devgn. The film grossed about 900 crores in India and about 1100 crores across the globe. Falling under the genre of action, adventure, and drama, RRR is set in the times when the colonizers ruled over India. It is about two revolutionaries who get commissioned to fight against the British. What are you waiting for if you haven’t seen the blockbuster hit?
Vikram
Directed by Lokesh Kanakaraj, Vikram casts Kamal Haasan, Vijay Sethupathi, Fahadh Faasil, and Shivani Narayanan in the lead roles. Another action thriller movie from the Tamil cinema almost baffled the box office by the way it performed on the big screen. The cost of making Vikram exceeded 100 crores. Nonetheless, the returns came in heavy as the movie managed to recover all of the cost of making, further ending their worldwide grossing at approximately 450 crores. Released earlier this year in June, the film revolves around the black-ops squad headed by Agent Vikram, who probes a masked group of serial killers and a drug consortium in Chennai.
Kantara
Kantara in English translates to Mystical Forest. A Kannada action-thriller movie written and directed by Rishab Shetty, made on a modest budget of 16 crores, managed to collect 400 crores worldwide after its release in September this year. The film casts Rishab Shetty, Sapthami Gowda, and Kishore, among others. The plot of Kantara is set around a small community inhabiting the woodlands of Kaadubettu in the southern coastal state of Karnataka. The film was an almost immediate commercial success and emerged as the second-highest-grossing Kannada film.
Ponniyin Selvan: I
Starring Vikram, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Jayam Ravi, Karthi, Ponniyin Selvan: I , happen to be another Tamil blockbuster hit at the box office. Filmed under the direction of legendary filmmaker Mani Ratnam, the film went on to accumulate a total wealth of above 500 crores in India. The film is based on the 1955 novel that goes by the same name and was authored by Kalki Krishnamurthy. Following the life of Chola prince Arulmozhi Varman, who goes on to become the renowned emperor Rajaraja 1. There are rumors of a sequel being released next year. Ponniyin Selvan: I also managed to record its name in the history books by being the first ever Tamil film to gross over 200 crores in Tamil Nadu.
Brahmastra: Part One – Shiva
The long wait of Bollywood enthusiasts came to an end as Brahmastra eventually managed to hit the big screens and reaped immense love from Bollywood enthusiasts. Written and directed by Ayan Mukherjee, the film has some breathtaking action sequences, visual effects, and colors that will light up your eyes. With cameos from Shah Rukh Khan and Amitabh Bachhan, Ranbir Kapoor , Alia Bhatt, and Mouni Roy take up the role of the star cast of the movie. Since the movie was heavily loaded with VFX, the cost of making it crossed over 400 crores, and in return, the film managed to recover that cost and earn a profit of about 50 crores worldwide. Shiva is the first part in the Brahmastra series that is expected to be a trilogy with two more parts to follow after this one.
The Kashmir Files
Hitting the political chord right where it hurts the most, Vivek Ranjan Aghnihotri comes to all guns blazing (quite literally) with the issue of the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits that has been either shoved under the carpet or unheard by the masses of this country. It has been the most controversial movie Bollywood has ever made.The film stars Anupam Kher, for whom this must have been a dream project, Mithun Chakraborty, Darshan Kumar, and Pallavi Joshi, among others. The budget for the production of The Kashmir Files was about 20 crore, and it managed to accumulate a cumulative wealth of around 350 crores. There have been contentions to the claims of the portrayal of the turn of events in 1990 that led to the mass migration of Kashmiri Pandits from the Kashmir valley to other parts of India and abroad by several critics. However, the film was liked by the masses in general and also catapulted the concerns of Kashmiri Pandits, some of which are still living over the fringes and are neglected by the higher authorities.
Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2
Taking the reins over from Akshay Kumar, Kartik Aaryan took the responsibility to lead Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 , an instant hit when it was released back in the day. The follow-up stars Kiara Advani and Tabu alongside Kartik Aaryan and manages to entertain the audience almost as much as the previous Bhool Bhulaiyaa did, if not more.The film was made with a total budget of 70 crores and grossed an unreal 266 crore worldwide. The movie also managed to be the third highest-grossing Hindi movie of 2022. After earning over 14 crores on the opening day of the release, the sequel instated hope as the pandemic negatively hit the industry.
Beast
Coming fresh out of the oven of the Tamil film industry yet again, Beast revolves around an ex-RAW agent’s expedition to rescue people who have been a hostage in a shopping mall. Starring Vijay, Pooja Hegde, and Selvaraghavan, the film is directed by Nelson. Although Beast was not a massive success at the box office for an original action sequence, it did fairly well on the big screens. The filming budget of Beast went up to 150 crores, and in turn, it managed to earn a worldwide earning of about 250 crores.Having said this, Beast is out an entertainment package for the fans of Vijay, and people can keep similar expectations from the movie.
Gangubai Kathiawadi
Alia Bhatt returned with a very strong performance yet again via Gangubai Kathiawadi . Directed by the maestro of period dramas, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, the film borrows its inspiration from the true tale of Ganga Jagjivandas Kathiawadi, who was sold into the flesh trade early in her life. Despite all odds, she conquered the frailties in life and assumed a position of high authority.Shantanu Maheshwari, Vijay Raaz, and Ajay Devgn also star alongside Alia Bhatt in the movie. Created in the Hindi language with a total budget of 125 crores, the film did alright worldwide with estimated earnings of 210 crores.
Sarkaru Vaari Paata
Sarkaru Vaari Paata is Telugu for Government’s bid. Adding another feather to the cap of the southern belt of the Indian subcontinent, Sarkaru Vaari Paata revolves around a financier who is looking for justice after a renowned MP’s daughter scams him of a substantial amount of money. Directed and written by Parasuram, the film stars Mahesh Babu, Keerthy Suresh, and Samuthirakani in the lead roles. Sarkaru Vaari Paata was made with a budget of 60 crores and managed to rule the box office as it earned over 200 crores in its worldwide gross. As per the critics, it was a below-hit movie, but the love it received has gone on to prove otherwise.
Drishyam 2
Starring Ajay Devgn, Drishyam 2 is the sequel to Drishyam, as the name suggests in itself. The movie has been patiently waited over by the audience, who liked the first part for its gripping storyline and unfathomable suspense. With an opening day collection of 15 crores, the film has already breached the 200 crore mark and is expected to grow in the coming days. Directed by Abhishek Pathak, the film is a remake of the 2021 Malayalam film of the same name. Apart from the other actors who starred in the first part, Akshaye Khanna is the recent addition to the sequel.
777 Charlie
Another Kannada film hit the dart board with precision and garnered a lot of appreciation from film critics. 777 Charlie is an adventure comedy-drama film written and directed by Kiranraj K, while Paramvah Studios produced it. The movie’s cast includes Charlie, a stray Labrador dog, and Rakshit Shetty alongside Sangeetha Sringeri, Raj B. Shetty, Danish Sait, and Bobby Simha. The emotional quotient of the film has been rated highly by critics. The movie also managed to breach the 100 crore mark at the box office, making it the fifth highest-grossing Kannada film at the time of release.
Bheemla Nayak
A Telugu language action thriller film directed by Saagar K Chandra, Bheemla Nayak is a remake of the 2020 Malayalam film Ayyappanum Koshiyum. Two greats of the Telugu film industry, namely Pawan Kalyan and Rana Daggubati, star in Bheemla Nayak. The filming budget of the movie was about 70 crore, against which it grossed over 190 crores. The movie received positive feedback from the critics, with special praise for intense “confrontation scenes.”
Samrat Prithviraj
Akshay Kumar returned with a historical action drama film directed by Chandraprakash Dwivedi and produced by Yash Raj Films. The film is based on Prithviraj Raso, a Braj language epic poem revolving around the life of Prithviraj Chauhan , a Rajput ruler from the Chahamana dynasty. Apart from Akshay Kumar, the film also stars Sonu Sood, Sanjay Dutt, and Sakshi Tanwar in other major roles. Although the film was not received well by the critics, and the earnings at the box office also prove the same assertion, the film was received well amidst the strong fan base that the movie stars have created. The film earned a total of 90 crores against its budget of over 150 crores.If you haven’t seen these gems of 2022 already, what are you waiting for?
