List of highest-grossing Indian films
Year Title Director Studio ( s ) Worldwide gross ( est . )
1940 Zindagi P. C. Barua New Theatres ₹ 55 lakh ( equivalent to ₹ 181 crore or US $ 29 million in 2016 )
1941 Khazanchi Moti B. Gidwani Pancholi Art Pictures ₹ 70 lakh ( equivalent to ₹ 235 crore or US $ 37 million in 2016 )
1942 Basant Amiya Chakrabarty Bombay Talkies ₹ 80 lakh ( equivalent to ₹ 235 crore or US $ 38 million in 2016 )
1943 Kismet Gyan Mukherjee Bombay Talkies ₹ 1 crore ( equivalent to ₹ 309 crore or US $ 49 million in 2016 )
1944 Rattan M. Sadiq Gemini Pictures ₹ 1 crore ( equivalent to ₹ 275 crore or US $ 44 million in 2016 )
1945 Zeenat Shaukat Hussain Rizvi Eastern Pictures ₹ 70 lakh ( equivalent to ₹ 188 crore or US $ 30 million in 2016 )
1946 Anmol Ghadi Mehboob Khan Mehboob Productions ₹ 1 crore ( equivalent to ₹ 249 crore or US $ 40 million in 2016 )
1947 Jugnu Shaukat Hussain Rizvi Shaukat Art Productions ₹ 50 lakh ( equivalent to ₹ 363 crore or US $ 57 million in 2016 )
1948 Chandralekha S. S. Vasan Gemini Studios ₹ 1.55 crore ( equivalent to ₹ 215 crore or US $ 34 million in 2016 )
1949 Barsaat Raj Kapoor R. K. Films ₹ 2 crore ( equivalent to ₹ 269 crore or US $ 43 million in 2016 )
1950 Samadhi Ramesh Saigal N/A ₹ 1.35 crore ( equivalent to ₹ 188 crore or US $ 30 million in 2016 )
1951 Awaara Raj Kapoor R. K. Films ₹10.38 crore ( equivalent to ₹1,214 crore or US $ 184 million in 2016 )
1952 Aan Mehboob Khan Mehboob Productions ₹ 3.57 crore ( equivalent to ₹ 373 crore or US $ 55 million in 2016 )
1953 Anarkali Nandlal Jaswantlal Filmistan ₹ 2.35 crore ( equivalent to ₹ 296 crore or US $ 47 million in 2016 )
1954 Nagin Nandlal Jaswantlal Filmistan ₹ 2.9 crore ( equivalent to ₹ 363 crore or US $ 57 million in 2016 )
1955 Pather Panchali Satyajit Ray Government of West Bengal ₹10 crore ( US $ 2 million )
1955 Shree 420 Raj Kapoor R. K. Films ₹ 4.94 crore ( equivalent to ₹ 618 crore or US $ 92 million in 2016 )
1956 Jagte Raho Sombhu Mitra Amit Maitra R. K. Films ₹ 4.44 crore ( equivalent to ₹ 477 crore or US $ 76 million in 2016 )
1957 Mother India Mehboob Khan Mehboob Productions ₹8 crore ( equivalent to ₹1,600 crore or US $ 246 million in 2017 )
1958 Madhumati Bimal Roy Bimal Roy Productions ₹ 4 crore ( equivalent to ₹ 478 crore or US $ 74 million in 2016 )
Highest-grossing films by year
This is a ranking of the highest grossing Indian films which includes films from various languages based on the conservative global box office estimates as reported by reputable sources. There is no official tracking of domestic box office figures within India, and Indian sites publishing data are frequently pressured to increase their domestic box office estimates. Indian films have been screened in markets around the world since the early 20th century. As of 2003, there are markets in over 90 countries where films from India are screened. During the first decade of the 21st century, there was a steady rise in the ticket price, a tripling in the number of theaters and an increase in the number of prints of a film being released, which led to a large increase in the box office collections. The majority of highest-grossing Indian films are Bollywood (Hindi) films. As of 2014, Bollywood represents 43% of the net box office revenue in India, while Tamil and Telugu cinema represent 36%, and other regional industries constitute 21%. See List of highest-grossing films in India for domestic gross figures and List of highest-grossing Indian films in overseas markets for overseas gross figures.