The Top 10 Grossers of 2008

Sarkar Raj (Starring Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. Supriya Pathak, Tanisha Mukherjee and Ravi Kale. Directed by Ram Gopal Varma with music by Amar Mohile.)

Release date: June 6, 2008

In at number nine we have Sarkar Raj. Unlike its prequel Sarkar, which was a loose adaptation of Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather with plot elements from The Godfather Part II, the sequel Sarkar Raj has an original plot. After the disaster that was Ram Gopal Verma ki Aag there was a lot of speculation whether Mr. Verma could be trusted with making a film that was good, let alone a sequel of a critically acclaimed film that's was a huge box-office hit. But that was all idle chatter as Sarkar Raj superseded all expectations placed on Verma.

Sarkar Raj grossed almost Rs. 34 crores in India in its first two weeks and over $1 million in the USA. Jaya Bachchan is said to have been so impressed by Sarkar Raj that she is urging Ram Gopal Verma to work on its sequel. Verma has said in an interview to the tabloid Mumbai Mirror that work is being done on the screenplay of a sequel

Reviewer Taran Adarsh was full of praise saying. "On the whole, Sarkar Raj is an exceptional film in all respects. At the box-office, it has all it takes to set new records in days to come!' and going on to give the film 4 out of 5."

Razeen Shameem (BollySpice) also gave Sarkar Raj 4 out of 5 stating, "Sarkar Raj is a hard hitting and intense film and does full justice to the original. It succeeds in all departments and is exactly the type of movie we needed."

Sarkar Raj went on to gross Rs. 42,64,84,960 with a promise of a sequel to come soon.

Dostana (Starring Abhishek Bachchan, John Abraham and Priyanka Chopra. Directed by Tarun Mansukhani with music Vishal-Shekhar.)

Release date: November 14, 2008

Released in the latter part of the year this offering from debutant director Tarun Mansukhani performed well both in India and the overseas markets. Its opening weekend gross in the US was $645,604 whilst in the UK, it was the third biggest opener- lagging behind Singh is Kinng and Race with 341,665. At number 8 with gross collections of Rs. 57,06,12,288 we have Dostana.

The first Bollywood film to be filmed entirely in Miami, Florida United States, Dostana in a nutshell explores the story of two men who pretend to be homosexual, so they can rent an apartment. Both the men fall in love with the same girl, but are unable to express their feelings because she is under the impression that they are a gay couple.

Dostana received rave reviews for treading on a new path, Taran Adarsh mentioned in his review that "Dostana is not to be missed", and praised the entire team for a well rounded performance going on to give this film a 4 out of 5 while we at BollySpice gave the film a 3 out of 5 with Rahul Bhasin stating, "Though not a laugh-out-loud comedy, Dostana succeeds in putting a smirk on your face throughout its running time. Give it a watch."

However, all was not smooth sailing for Dharma Productions. Pritish Nandy, owner of Pritish Nandy Communications, filed a court case against Dharma Productions for using the song 'Kuch Kum' without his permission. Allegedly the Vishal-Shekhar composed 'Kuch Kum' was originally for a film to be directed by Tarun Mansukhani for Pritish Nandy Communications but the film did not go to floor. Vishal-Shekhar's use of 'Kuch Kum' in Dostana apparently made Pritish Nandy, "livid" and caused him to "raise objections" against the use of the song. Dharma Productions eventually decided to handle the situation mutually by paying Nandy Rs. 3 crores in compensation.

Golmaal Returns (Starring Ajay Devgan, Tusshar Kapoor, Arshad Warsi Shreyas Talpade, Kareena Kapoor, Anjana Sukhani, Amrita Arora and Celina Jaitley. Directed by Rohit Shetty with music by Pritam.)

Release date: October 29, 2008

Inspired by the Kiran Kumar - Radha Saluja comedy Aaj Ki Tazaa Khabar [1973] Golmaal Returns is the sequel to 2006 hit Golmaal. Originally expected to be filmed in Dubai on a forty day schedule, the cast shot for the film in Goa on a twenty day schedule. Shooting further continued in Filmistan Studios Mumbai, South Africa and Bangkok.

Golmaal Returns opened to mixed reviews Taran Adarsh gave the sequel 2 out of 5 stating, "Golmaal Returns pales when compared to its first part. At the box-office, expect a terrific start for the film, but Golmaal Returns lacks the power to stand on its feet after the initial euphoria settles down." BollySpice reviewer Shannan Mann gave the film 1.5 saying that "Golmaal Returns is disappointing."

So why is this film in the list – well it had a fantastic opening. Golmaal Returns surpassed the first day totals of Om Shanti Om by collecting 22.03 lakhs on day one. Despite negative reviews, it collected in excess of $10 million in the overseas market in 10 days. Add to that another $10 million collected in India in 5 days gives you the 7th biggest hit of the year with a gross collection of Rs. 59,59,68,960.

Jodhaa Akbar (Starring Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. Directed by Ashutosh Gowariker with music by A. R. Rahman.)

Released: January 19, 2008

A historical film based on a marriage between the Muslim Mughal Emperor Akbar, (Hrithik Roshan) and his Hindu wife, Jodhaabai, (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan) that was initially an alliance but became a love story.

2008 commenced with a flourish and ended in spectacular fashion for this release. Apart from the initial controversy which involved Ashutosh Gowarikar acknowledging that approximately 70% of the movie was based on his imagination though many of the events portrayed in the movie were based on true accounts from the time and pressure being placed on Gowarikar for a public apology by a number of Rajput groups who claimed Jodhaa was married to Akbar's son, Jahangir, not Akbar.

The latter part of the year has seen all associated with this particular 2008 release being honored with several awards, having won the 'Audience Award' - Best Foreign Film at the 32nd Sao Paulo International Film Awards, the 'Best Film Grand Prix' And 'Best Actor' – being awarded to Hrithik Roshan for his stellar performance at the Film Festival of Muslim Cinema Golden Minbar in Kazan, Russia.

The accolades have been coming in from all directions. Having recently been honoured with the Shantaram Award on the 26th of December, this production has been nominated for the BAFTA's Best Foreign Film Award.

The film received an exceptional response at the US and UK box-office grossing $1.3 million dollars in the first weekend in the North American box office, with The New York Times giving the movie a positive review, comparing Ashutosh Gowariker to Cecil DeMille. The film had a shaky start at the Indian box office with the Hindustan Times giving the film a mere 2 out of 5 with reviewer Khalid Mohammed stating that Gowariker had "miscalculated the technical logistics and emotional content of a period piece" but through word of mouth, it went on to gross Rs. 63, 96, 74,688 dropping from number three in our charts three months ago to number 6.

Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na (Starring Imran Khan and Genelia D'Souza. Directed by Abbas Tyrewala with music by A. R. Rahman.)

Released: July 4, 2008

Set amongst a group of college friends Aamir Khan and Mansoor Khan's production Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na is a romantic comedy centering on friendship which introduced Aamir Khan's nephew Imran Khan and also starred Genelia D'Souza.

In our charts in second position three months ago Jaane Tu... was an early success, with 80% occupancy initially going on to 100% occupancy later in the first week. The takings for the first week were Rs. 20.01 crore averaging to Rs. 6,56,524 per print. For the second week, the numbers of shows were increased allowing the film to reach 100% occupancy at several screens. The film grossed 17.50 crores in its second week.

Jaane Tu… received positive responses from the critics with most giving the film an average of 4/5. Taran Adarsh of IndiaFM gave it 3.5 stars, "a breezy entertainer which will be loved by its target audience -- the youth."

BollySpice reviewer Aly Kassam was all ready to sit in "a stinky theatre with sticky floors and disgusting chairs" all over again and gave this refreshing film 3.5 stars.

Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na has gone on to collect Rs. 67,06,02,880 worldwide making this Aamir Khan Production our number 5 top grossing film.

Race (Starring Saif Ali Khan, Akshaye Khanna, Bipasha Basu, Katrina Kaif, Anil Kapoor and Sameera Reddy. Directed by Abbas Mustan with music by Pritam.)

Released: March 21, 2008

At number four we have Race. Set and mostly filmed in South Africa and Dubai, Race is a comedy/action/ thriller loosely based on the 1998 Hollywood movie Goodbye Lover which delves into the themes of sibling rivalry, betrayal and passion.

Race received a mixed response from the critics. Taran Adarsh gave the film 4 out of 5, stating that Race "is a superb entertainer all the way" and that it "has not just style, but a lot of substance too" while Raja Sen gave the film 1.5 out of 5 and described the various number of plot twists and poor character development as its main deficiencies. Razeen Shameem for BollySpice gave Race 3.5 commenting that Race was "a true thriller in every sense of the word."

Despite the mixed opinions Race was the second hit of 2008 after Ashutosh Gowarikar's Jodhaa Akbar in early January with an opening total of Rs.35,61,00,000 in India, 880,423 in the United Kingdom and $1,376,024 in the United States of America. Race went on to gross Rs. 69,17,42,272 making the entire team of this production very happy despite the controversy which surrounded Pritam's Zara Zara touch me which is yet to be resolved.


Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (Starring Shahrukh Khan, Anushka Sharma, and Vinay Pathak. Directed by Aditya Chopra with music by Salim-Sulaiman.)

Released: December 12, 2008

This was one of the most awaited films of last year for multiple reasons. 1) Yash Raj were giving the film industry a new face in the form of Anushka Sharma 2) This was Shah Rukh's only release this year, 3) It was Shah Rukh working with the Yash Raj Banner so expectations were high 4) It was Aditya Chopra's return to the direction mantle after a hiatus of about eight years.

Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi is about a simple, clean hearted, honest, hardworking man
leading a humdrum life, when he meets his total opposite and finds love. What follows is a journey filled with laughter, tears, joy, pain, music, dance and a lot of love. Aditya Chopra takes us on a journey that makes us believe that there is an extraordinary love story in every ordinary jodi.

Rab Ne… had a fantastic opening. The day of release saw the film earn 7.5 crore net all over India, with the second day seeing collections at an estimated at 10 crores. According to first week collection records, Rab Ne… broke opening weekend records for Yash Raj Films with collections of 60 crore worldwide. The box office reception for this particular Yash Raj Production surpassed the gross collections taken by Dhoom 2 in its first week.

Critically the reception for Rab Ne… was mixed Roshni Mulchandani – BollySpice observed that "The movie is entertaining but does not, unfortunately live up to the Yash Raj reputation" giving the film 2.5 out of 5 while Rachel Saltz of The New York Times described the film it as "'soft, sweet and slow,' in the words of one of its songs. It deftly blends comedy, the ruling tone of the new Bollywood, with melodrama, the ruling tone of the old". Manish Gajjar of the BBC gave the film four out of five stars noting that, "Shah Rukh Khan makes you laugh and cry as the nerdy-looking, clumsy, bespectacled Surinder and the all hip and happening Raj. A true professional in his in his own right, Khan breezes through his dialogues full during the emotional and comic scenes."

At number three ladies and gents I give you Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi with a gross collection of Rs. 76,20,54,016

Ghajini (Starring Aamir Khan, Asin Thottumkal, Jiah Khan, Pradeep Rawat and Riyaz Khan. Directed by A.R. Murugadoss with music by A.R. Rahman.)

Released: December 25, 2008

A remake of Tamil film, Ghajini, (also directed by Murugadoss), said to have been 'inspired' by the 2000 Hollywood movie Memento (directed by Christopher Nolan) Aamir Khan and Bollywood dbutant Asin Thottumkal star in an intense action-thriller about a man suffering from anterograde amnesia in quest to avenge his love.

Another film whose release was awaited rather impatiently by most Bollywood film fans, Ghajini was the second Christmas release for Mr Khan (the first being 2007's Taare Zameen Par). Ghajini was expected to be a good film, as Aamir Khan is an actor who pours his life and soul into every role he takes on. It was therefore no surprise when reports started to surface of Ghajini's historic collection of Rs. 110 crores in just 6 days. Released with around 1500 prints, of which 213 were released overseas, Ghajini raked in close to Rs 100 crores over the four-day weekend (25 December to 28 December).

Ghajini received mostly positive reviews from critics. Aly Kassam – BollySpice mentioned in his review that Ghajini was "a masala flick that the public will absolutely love" and awarded it 3.5 out of 5. Sonia Chopra of Sify gave the movie 3.5 stars and recommended watching it, "For the four As—Aamir, Asin, AR Murugadoss and AR Rahman." Taran Adarsh remarked that the movie "is a winner all the way" and gave it 4.5 stars.

However, there were some negative reviews too. Noyon Jyoti Parasara of AOL india says, "Most comparisons often point out that a remake is not as worthy. Ghajini however succeeds when it is compared to the Tamil version directed by the same director."

Ghajini has gone on to gross Rs. 77,03,99,232 to date with details of a 3-D game titled Ghajini:the game emerging where Aamir Khan's character will be a feature.

Singh Is Kinng (Starring Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif. Directed by Anees Bazmee with music by Pritam.)

Released: August 8, 2008

Ladies and Gentlemen can we have a drum roll please – Three months later and still holding the Numero Uno position is the summer Blockbuster Singh Is Kinng. Yes that is right; Singh is Kinng is the Top Grossing Film of 2008.

Shot in Australia with a plot similar to Frank Capra's 1934 release Lady for a Day and a later 1989 release starring Jackie Chan titled Miracles, Singh Is Kinng is a film about a Sikh boy (Happy) who tries to win over the love of his life but is inadvertently given leadership of a Sikh Gang in Australia.

The release of the film experienced initial controversy with members of the Sikh community who expressed their disapproval over the interpretation of the Punjabi Community. A ban was initially sought stating Punjabi's were 'ridiculed' in the film with the main objection centering on the fact that Kumar's character sported a trimmed beard, which some orthodox Sikhs found offensive. A 50-minute discussion with the DSGMC authorities, Kumar and producer Vipul Shah led to twelve changes in the motion picture. As a result the DSGMC permitted the release of the film on the 7th of August on 2008; however, the first show of Singh is Kinng in NM Cinema Hall of Amritsar on August 8, 2008 was disrupted with protesting and the vandalism of the hall.

Reviews of the film were mostly positive. Taran Adarsh, of Bollywood hungama stated, "Singh Is Kinng lives up to the hype and hoopla. Want a joyride without taxing your brains? Board the Singh Is Kinng wagon." Whilst Salima Kassam reviewer for BollySpice considered Singh is Kinng a disappointment "because of its silly plot and pointless proceedings."

Singh Is Kinng had a record opening in India with 95-100% occupancy and a weekend net gross of Rs. 29 crores breaking the previous record of Rs. 22 crores set by Om Shanti Om. (This record was broken by Ghajini)

The film has gone on to gross Rs. 87,95,72,672 , where worldwide, Singh Is Kinng grossed over 2 crores in Pakistan in two weeks, which is a record for any Indian film. In the United States, the film grossed over $1.1 million, approximately $1 million in the UK, which resulted in the film being declared a blockbuster worldwide. This news must have had Anees Bazmee singing Singh Is Kinng all the way to the bank…..

So, there you have it the movies that made movie theater registers go ka-ching in 2008! It will be interesting to see what films will make fans run to the theater in 2009, we know we will be watching!

Bollyspice.com

Go ASh ...two of her movies in this...

I really doubt Bhoothnath, Sarkar Raj and Dostana are the top 10 grossers. I agree they made money for the producers and distributers, but I do not think they figure in the top 10. According to boxofficeindia.com, Sarkar raj was a flop, Dostana was average and Bhoothnath was above average.

Then Jannat, Rock on, Wednesday, Fashion should also be on the list. These movies where conviniently given a miss to put in the other movies in the top 10 list. 😃

That what I had been hearing....and this list is a surprise.......a good one....

thought sakar raj was a flop!

oh well!

good to see the list

thanks!