Six films, six very different kinds of Indian blockbuster: a Telugu epic that went pan-India, a wrestling drama that conquered China, two Shah Rukh Khan action spectacles, a spy sequel and a divisive romance. Between 2016 and 2023 each of them either set a record or changed how studios think about a big release.
This list covers Baahubali 2: The Conclusion (2017), Dangal (2016), Jawan (2023), Pathaan (2023), Tiger Zinda Hai (2017) and Kabir Singh (2019). For each film you get the story, the cast and crew, the box office, what critics said and our own review with a rating, pros and cons.
How we picked and rated them. “Blockbuster” here means a film that was a major commercial event and left a mark on the industry, not simply one with a high ranking. Box office figures are reported estimates and vary by source, so we give the figure and name the source. Ratings are out of 5 and weigh story, performances, craft and how well the film delivers on what it sets out to do.
At a glance
Dangal and Baahubali 2 are the two biggest earners on the list, while Kabir Singh made the most money relative to its cost.
| Film | Year | Language | Director | Lead | Budget (₹ crore) | Worldwide gross (₹ crore) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baahubali 2: The Conclusion | 2017 | Telugu (dubbed in Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam) | S. S. Rajamouli | Prabhas | 250 | about 1,811 |
| Dangal | 2016 | Hindi (Tamil and Telugu dubs) | Nitesh Tiwari | Aamir Khan | 70 | about 1,968 to 2,200 (sources differ) |
| Jawan | 2023 | Hindi (Tamil and Telugu dubs) | Atlee | Shah Rukh Khan | 300 | about 1,148 |
| Pathaan | 2023 | Hindi | Siddharth Anand | Shah Rukh Khan | 250 | about 1,050 |
| Tiger Zinda Hai | 2017 | Hindi | Ali Abbas Zafar | Salman Khan | 130 | about 564 |
| Kabir Singh | 2019 | Hindi | Sandeep Reddy Vanga | Shahid Kapoor | 60 | about 379 |
Budgets and grosses are reported estimates, taken from each film’s Wikipedia page. Jawan’s figure is as reported in November 2023, so its final total may be slightly higher.
1. Baahubali 2: The Conclusion (2017)
Baahubali 2 is a Telugu-language epic by S. S. Rajamouli that opened on 28 April 2017 and became the first Indian film to gross more than ₹1,000 crore. It is a Telugu film, not a Hindi one, and it reached Hindi, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam audiences through dubbed versions.
The story. The film answers the question the first part left hanging, why Kattappa killed Amarendra Baahubali. It is set in the fictional kingdom of Mahishmati and follows the rivalry between the cousins Amarendra Baahubali and Bhallaladeva, which ends with Amarendra’s son Mahendra setting out to avenge his father.
Cast and crew.
- Prabhas plays Amarendra Baahubali and Mahendra Baahubali (a dual role)
- Rana Daggubati plays Bhallaladeva
- Anushka Shetty plays Devasena
- Ramya Krishna plays Sivagami Devi
- Sathyaraj plays Kattappa, with Tamannaah Bhatia, Nassar and Subbaraju in support
- Music by M. M. Keeravani; screenplay by Rajamouli from a story by V. Vijayendra Prasad; runtime 171 minutes
Box office and records. The film was made on a reported budget of ₹250 crore, the most expensive Indian film at the time, and grossed about ₹1,810.6 crore worldwide (roughly ₹1,430 crore from India). It opened on more than 9,000 screens worldwide, made ₹382 crore in its first three days and was briefly the highest-grossing Indian film of all time. Rankings have since shifted: Dangal‘s China run took the worldwide crown, so treat “highest-grossing Indian film” claims as dependent on the source and the year.
What critics said. Reception was strongly positive. Rotten Tomatoes lists 88% positive reviews (average 7.6/10). Filmfare gave it 4.5 out of 5 and The Guardian 4 out of 5, while The Indian Express gave 2 out of 5 and some reviewers faulted the pacing and characterisation. It won three National Film Awards, including Best Special Effects and Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment, and the Saturn Award for Best International Film.
Our review. Baahubali 2 succeeds because it treats a mythic story with total conviction. The first half builds the love story between Amarendra and Devasena with real warmth, and the second half pays off the “why did Kattappa kill Baahubali” question without cheating. The set pieces are the reason people still talk about it: the elephant-and-tree sequence, the war scenes and the entrance of the hero are staged for a theatre full of people who want to cheer. Prabhas carries both the regal father and the impulsive son, and Ramya Krishna’s Sivagami gives the film its moral weight. It is not flawless. The visual effects age unevenly, a few songs slow the momentum and the villain is simpler than the hero. But as spectacle backed by emotion, it remains the template other pan-India films have chased.
Our rating: 4.5 / 5
Pros
- Spectacle staged with real emotional stakes
- A satisfying answer to the first film’s cliffhanger
- Strong lead performances from Prabhas, Anushka Shetty and Ramya Krishna
- Keeravani’s music and the action design
Cons
- Visual effects are uneven in places
- A couple of songs interrupt the pace
- Villain is less layered than the heroes
- Works best if you have seen part one
Sources: Wikipedia, Baahubali 2: The Conclusion.
2. Dangal (2016)
Dangal is a Hindi sports biopic directed by Nitesh Tiwari, released on 23 December 2016, and it became the highest-grossing film of this list largely because of an enormous run in China. It was made for a reported ₹70 crore, the cheapest of the six apart from Kabir Singh.
The story. Mahavir Singh Phogat, a former national wrestling champion from Haryana, gave up the sport under family pressure and dreamed that a son would win India a medal. When he had four daughters, he noticed that his eldest, Geeta and Babita, had the strength to fight, and began training them against the objections of the village. Geeta goes on to win gold at the 2010 Commonwealth Games, the first Indian woman to do so. The film is based on the real Phogat sisters of Balali, Haryana.
Cast and crew.
- Aamir Khan plays Mahavir Singh Phogat
- Fatima Sana Shaikh and Zaira Wasim play adult and young Geeta
- Sanya Malhotra and Suhani Bhatnagar play adult and young Babita
- Sakshi Tanwar plays Mahavir’s wife; Aparshakti Khurana plays his nephew Omkar and narrates
- Music by Pritam with lyrics by Amitabh Bhattacharya; produced by Aamir Khan, Kiran Rao and Siddharth Roy Kapur; runtime 161 minutes
Box office and records. Reported worldwide totals range from about ₹1,968 crore to ₹2,200 crore depending on the source, so quote it as “nearly ₹2,000 crore” at most. Roughly ₹1,400 crore of that came from China, where it opened on 5 May 2017 on about 9,000 screens with a 20-minute trim. It is commonly cited as the highest-grossing Indian film worldwide, the highest-grossing sports film and the first Indian film to pass ₹1,000 crore in China. It was not released in Pakistan.
What critics said. Rotten Tomatoes lists 89% positive reviews (average 7.8/10). Critics praised the honest telling and Aamir Khan’s performance. The main criticism is that a story about two women is told mostly through their father, and that the academy coach is drawn as a caricature. At the 62nd Filmfare Awards it won Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor and Best Action, and Zaira Wasim won the National Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Our review. Dangal works because it is an underdog story with a specific, believable world behind it. The first half, where Mahavir trains the girls and the village mocks them, is funny and affecting, and the wrestling bouts are shot so that you follow every move without needing to know the sport. Aamir Khan’s physical transformation is remarkable, and the sisters, especially Fatima Sana Shaikh and Zaira Wasim, hold their own against him. The criticism has merit: the film is Mahavir’s story more than Geeta’s, and the clash with the coach in the middle is the weakest stretch. Still, the final bout, played largely without music and with the father locked in a room, is one of the most effective sports climaxes in Hindi cinema.
Our rating: 4.5 / 5
Pros
- Moving true story with real stakes
- Believable wrestling choreography
- Aamir Khan and the young actresses are excellent
- A restrained, powerful climax
Cons
- Centres the father more than the daughters
- The coach is drawn as a caricature
- Some middle-section melodrama
Sources: Wikipedia, Dangal.
3. Jawan (2023)
Jawan is a Hindi action thriller released on 7 September 2023, directed by Atlee (not by its star Shah Rukh Khan) and produced by Gauri Khan’s Red Chillies Entertainment. It was Atlee’s Hindi debut, after Tamil hits such as Theri and Bigil.
The story. A vigilante recruits a group of women prisoners and carries out daring acts that expose corruption in India, while the story moves between a 1993 prologue and the present day. Shah Rukh Khan plays a dual role, and the film mixes a mass-entertainer template with commentary on farmers’ debt, healthcare and electoral choice.
Cast and crew.
- Shah Rukh Khan in a dual role
- Nayanthara as the lead heroine, in her Hindi debut
- Vijay Sethupathi as the antagonist
- Deepika Padukone in a special appearance, with Priyamani, Sanya Malhotra, Sunil Grover and a Sanjay Dutt cameo
- Music by Anirudh Ravichander; story and screenplay by Atlee and S. Ramana Girivasan; runtime 169 minutes
Box office and records. The budget was reported at ₹300 crore. By 10 November 2023 the film had grossed over ₹1,148 crore worldwide, including about ₹762 crore in India, making it the highest-grossing Indian film of 2023 and Shah Rukh Khan’s biggest hit. It opened on more than 10,000 screens worldwide, the widest release for a Hindi film, and was the first Hindi film to net over ₹600 crore in India.
What critics said. Rotten Tomatoes lists 89% positive reviews (average 7.6/10), though many Indian reviews were mixed. Performances, action, music and cinematography drew praise, while the story was called overlong and at times incoherent. Shah Rukh Khan won the National Film Award for Best Actor for the film, and Shilpa Rao won Best Female Playback Singer for “Chaleya”.
Our review. Jawan is a star vehicle built to be watched in a packed hall, and on that terms it delivers. Shah Rukh Khan is clearly enjoying both roles, shifting from a weary father figure to a swaggering younger man with ease, and Nayanthara and Vijay Sethupathi give the film real presence. Atlee’s southern mass-film instincts, slow-motion entrances, big emotional beats and Anirudh’s thumping score give it a different texture from a typical Bollywood action film. The cost is coherence: the plot leans on coincidence, the villain’s motivation is thin and the social messages arrive as speeches. Watch it for the scale and the star, not for a tight script.
Our rating: 3.5 / 5
Pros
- Shah Rukh Khan’s charismatic dual performance
- Strong supporting turns from Nayanthara and Vijay Sethupathi
- Anirudh’s score and the set-piece action
- A Hindi film with southern mass-cinema energy
Cons
- Overlong, with a plot that relies on coincidence
- Social messages feel preachy
- Thin villain motivation
4. Pathaan (2023)
Pathaan is a Hindi spy thriller directed by Siddharth Anand and released on 25 January 2023, over the Republic Day weekend. It marked Shah Rukh Khan’s return to the screen after a gap of about four years and grossed roughly ₹1,050 crore worldwide on a reported ₹250 crore budget.
The story. An exiled RAW agent teams up with an ISI agent to stop Jim, a former RAW operative turned rogue, who plans to attack India with a lab-made virus. It is the fourth film in the YRF Spy Universe, set after Ek Tha Tiger, Tiger Zinda Hai and War, and the first to bring characters from the other films together.
Cast and crew.
- Shah Rukh Khan as Pathaan
- Deepika Padukone as ISI agent Dr. Rubina “Rubai” Mohsin
- John Abraham as Jim, leader of Outfit X
- Dimple Kapadia and Ashutosh Rana in support, with Salman Khan in a cameo as Tiger
- Produced by Aditya Chopra for Yash Raj Films; songs by Vishal–Shekhar; screenplay by Shridhar Raghavan; runtime 146 minutes
Box office and records. It was the first Hindi film to gross ₹100 crore worldwide on its opening day and the fastest Hindi film to reach ₹200, ₹300 and ₹400 crore. It overtook Baahubali 2‘s Hindi version to become the highest-grossing Hindi-language film in India, a record Jawan then took later the same year. Digital rights went to Amazon Prime Video, where an extended cut premiered on 22 March 2023.
The controversy. Before release, the song “Besharam Rang” drew protests over Deepika Padukone’s saffron bikini, and some groups threatened screenings. The film received a U/A certificate with changes to songs, and the costume scene stayed. The noise did little to hurt the opening.
What critics said. Rotten Tomatoes lists 85% approval (average 7.1/10), while Metacritic’s small sample scored it 47/100. Critics praised the star power and action and found the plot and politics thin.
Our review. Pathaan is a well-oiled machine whose job is to make its star feel like a hero again, and it does that very well. Shah Rukh Khan is relaxed and funny between the fights, Deepika Padukone is a true action partner rather than a decoration, and John Abraham makes a menacing, physical villain. The train and ice-lake set pieces are slick, and the Salman Khan cameo is a crowd-pleasing highlight. The story is familiar spy-thriller material, the visual effects wobble in a couple of places and the geopolitics are painted in broad strokes. It is a film you enjoy in the moment rather than one that lingers.
Our rating: 3.5 / 5
Pros
- Shah Rukh Khan’s confident comeback
- Deepika Padukone and John Abraham are well used
- Slick action and the Salman Khan cameo
- Starts the YRF Spy Universe crossovers
Cons
- Predictable spy-thriller plot
- Uneven visual effects in a few scenes
- Simplistic politics
Sources: Wikipedia, Pathaan.
5. Tiger Zinda Hai (2017)
Tiger Zinda Hai is a Hindi action thriller directed by Ali Abbas Zafar, released on 22 December 2017. It is the sequel to Ek Tha Tiger (2012) and the second film in the YRF Spy Universe, and it grossed about ₹564 crore worldwide on a reported budget of ₹130 crore.
The story. Five years after the first film, Tiger and Zoya are living in hiding when they are pulled back in to rescue a group of nurses held hostage by a terrorist organisation called ISC in Iraq. The story was inspired by the 2014 abduction of Indian nurses in Iraq.
Cast and crew.
- Salman Khan as Avinash “Tiger” Singh Rathore
- Katrina Kaif as Zoya
- Sajjad Delafrooz as Abu Usman, the antagonist
- Girish Karnad, Paresh Rawal, Kumud Mishra and Angad Bedi in supporting roles
- Songs by Vishal–Shekhar with lyrics by Irshad Kamil; score by Julius Packiam; runtime 162 minutes
Box office and records. It had the highest opening weekend in the Hindi film industry at the time, and its trailer was the most-liked on YouTube when it launched. It was the third-highest-grossing Indian film of 2017 and the highest-grossing foreign-language film in the UK that year. It won Best Action at the 63rd Filmfare Awards.
What critics said. Mostly positive. Rotten Tomatoes lists 64% positive reviews from 14 critics (average 6.1/10). NDTV’s Raja Sen gave it 2.5 out of 5, and several reviewers named the running time as its main weakness.
Our review. Tiger Zinda Hai is a Salman Khan film that knows exactly what its audience wants and then delivers it at scale. The mission premise gives the action a purpose, Katrina Kaif gets her own fight sequences instead of waiting to be rescued, and the opening and hospital set pieces are mounted with confidence. Salman is at his best when the film lets him be both a wisecracking star and a tired soldier. The film runs long, the final stretch overstays its welcome and the villain is thinly written, but it is also the best-made entry in the Tiger series and still plays well as a Sunday-afternoon rewatch.
Our rating: 3.5 / 5
Pros
- Large-scale action with a clear mission
- Katrina Kaif’s action scenes
- Salman Khan in a crowd-pleasing role
- Gives the YRF Spy Universe its first big franchise film
Cons
- Runs a little long
- Thin antagonist
- Plot logic stretches in the final act
Sources: Wikipedia, Tiger Zinda Hai.
6. Kabir Singh (2019)
Kabir Singh is a Hindi romantic drama released on 21 June 2019, written and directed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga as a remake of his own 2017 Telugu hit Arjun Reddy. It grossed about ₹379 crore worldwide on a reported ₹60 crore budget, the best return of the six, and it is also the most argued-over film here.
The story. Kabir Singh is a brilliant but volatile surgeon who spirals into alcohol and drug use after his girlfriend Preeti is married to someone else by her family. He loses his medical licence before the story finds its way to a reunion.
Cast and crew.
- Shahid Kapoor as Dr. Kabir Rajdheer Singh
- Kiara Advani as Dr. Preeti Sikka
- Suresh Oberoi, Arjan Bajwa, Soham Majumdar and Nikita Dutta in support
- Kamini Kaushal as Kabir’s grandmother
- Songs by Mithoon, Amaal Mallik, Vishal Mishra, Sachet–Parampara and Akhil Sachdeva; score by Harshavardhan Rameshwar; runtime 172 minutes
Box office and awards. It was Shahid Kapoor’s highest-grossing solo-lead film. The song “Bekhayali” was named Listeners’ Choice Song of the Year at the Mirchi Music Awards, and at IIFA 2021 the film won Best Film, Best Actor (Kapoor), Best Music Director and Best Female Playback Singer. It streams on Netflix, which added it on 19 September 2019.
The controversy. Critics said the film glamorises misogyny, possessiveness and substance abuse, and Anna M. M. Vetticad rated it one star and called its lead character’s portrayal “insidious”. Shahid Kapoor defended the character as a realistic portrayal, and filmmakers such as Anurag Kashyap and actors such as Manoj Bajpayee defended the film. The CBFC gave it an A certificate and asked for a drug-use scene to be modified.
What critics said. Mixed. Taran Adarsh and Ronak Kotecha gave it 3.5 stars, while Shubhra Gupta and Raja Sen gave it 1.5. Kapoor’s performance and the soundtrack were widely praised.
Our review. Kabir Singh is easy to admire as filmmaking and hard to defend as a love story. Shahid Kapoor gives the best performance of his career, fully committed to a man who is charming one minute and frightening the next, and the music, especially “Bekhayali”, makes the heartbreak land. But the film asks us to see Kabir’s controlling and violent behaviour as proof of love, and Preeti is written as someone who mostly absorbs it. Kiara Advani does what she can with a limited role. The result is a film that moves you and bothers you in equal measure, which is why audiences are still divided. We rate it for its craft and impact, not as an endorsement of its idea of romance.
Our rating: 3 / 5
Pros
- Shahid Kapoor’s intense, committed lead performance
- A hit soundtrack, especially “Bekhayali”
- Strong emotional pull and a confident debut-in-Hindi from the director
Cons
- Glamorises possessive and violent behaviour
- Preeti is thinly written
- Long running time at 172 minutes
Sources: Wikipedia, Kabir Singh.
Our ratings compared
Baahubali 2 and Dangal tie at the top with 4.5 out of 5, and Kabir Singh sits lowest because of how it treats its central relationship.
| Film | Our rating (out of 5) | Strongest point | Weakest point |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baahubali 2: The Conclusion | 4.5 | Epic spectacle with emotional payoff | Uneven visual effects |
| Dangal | 4.5 | True story, Aamir Khan, the final bout | Father-centred telling |
| Jawan | 3.5 | Shah Rukh Khan’s dual role | Overlong, coincidence-driven plot |
| Pathaan | 3.5 | Star power and slick action | Predictable plot |
| Tiger Zinda Hai | 3.5 | Large-scale mission action | Running time |
| Kabir Singh | 3 | Shahid Kapoor and the music | Glamorises possessive behaviour |
These are our editorial ratings. They weigh story, performances, craft and how well each film delivers on its own terms.
Why these films matter
Together these six films show how the idea of an Indian blockbuster changed between 2016 and 2023: bigger releases, bigger budgets and audiences that no longer stop at language or national borders.
1. The pan-India film became real. Baahubali 2 proved that a Telugu film could earn most of its money outside its home market. It opened on more than 9,000 screens, was dubbed into Hindi, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam, and made over ₹1,000 crore. Studios across the south have built releases around that model since.
2. India’s stories travelled to China. Dangal earned roughly ₹1,400 crore from China after a release on about 9,000 screens, showing that a grounded, family-centred sports story could succeed with audiences far from India. It also made a strong case for female-led sports stories.
3. The star-led spectacle returned. Pathaan and Jawan both landed in 2023, after a lean stretch for Hindi cinema, and between them grossed over ₹2,100 crore. Pathaan broke the single-day and fastest-to-₹400-crore records, and Jawan opened on more than 10,000 screens and brought a Tamil director’s mass-film style to a Hindi superstar.
4. Cinematic universes arrived in Hindi. Tiger Zinda Hai and Pathaan belong to the YRF Spy Universe, and Pathaan was the first film to cross over characters, including a Salman Khan cameo as Tiger. Sequels and shared universes are now a standard bet.
5. A debate about what we celebrate. Kabir Singh earned about ₹379 crore on a ₹60 crore budget while drawing sharp criticism for how it portrays a controlling relationship. It showed that a film can be a big hit and a flashpoint at once, and it keeps the conversation about on-screen toxicity going.
6. Streaming extended their life. Netflix and Amazon Prime Video paid reported sums of ₹250 crore for Jawan and ₹100 crore for Pathaan, so a theatrical blockbuster now has a second, global audience on its release window’s heels.
The pattern is simple: scale, star power and strong word of mouth still bring people to the cinema, but the films that last are the ones with a clear emotional hook.
Which one should you watch first?
Start with Dangal if you want the most complete film, or Baahubali 2 if you want the biggest spectacle.
| If you want… | Watch |
|---|---|
| An emotional, true-story drama | Dangal |
| Pure epic spectacle | Baahubali 2: The Conclusion |
| A star-driven, over-the-top thriller | Jawan |
| A slick spy thriller with cameos | Pathaan, then Tiger Zinda Hai |
| A music-led, divisive romance | Kabir Singh |
If you plan to watch the spy films, go in order: Tiger Zinda Hai, then Pathaan, since Pathaan is set after it and brings Salman Khan’s Tiger back for a cameo. If you have not seen the first Baahubali, watch it before part two.
Where to stream. Availability changes by country and by month, so check a service such as JustWatch before you plan an evening. What we could confirm from reports:
- Jawan: Netflix acquired the digital rights, and an extended cut began streaming there on 2 November 2023
- Pathaan: Amazon Prime Video acquired the digital rights, and the extended cut premiered there on 22 March 2023
- Kabir Singh: added to Netflix on 19 September 2019
- Baahubali 2: Netflix is reported to have acquired the rights, but we could not confirm its current platform
- Dangal and Tiger Zinda Hai: we could not confirm a current streaming platform
Final verdict
If we could keep only two, it would be Dangal and Baahubali 2: one for its heart, the other for its scale. Jawan, Pathaan and Tiger Zinda Hai are the best of Hindi star-driven action in their eras, and Kabir Singh is the one you will argue about afterwards.
Which of these six is your favourite, and which would you drop from the list? Tell us in the comments.
FAQs
Which of these films earned the most? Reported totals put Dangal at about ₹1,968 to ₹2,200 crore and Baahubali 2 at about ₹1,811 crore, so they are the top two here. Figures differ by source, and rankings of Indian films have shifted over the years.
Was Jawan directed by Shah Rukh Khan? No. Jawan was directed by Atlee, in his Hindi debut. Shah Rukh Khan stars in a dual role, and his wife Gauri Khan produced it.
Is Baahubali 2 a Hindi film? No. It is a Telugu film directed by S. S. Rajamouli, released in Telugu and in dubbed Hindi, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam versions.
Did Dangal really earn that much in China? Yes. It released there on 5 May 2017 on about 9,000 screens and earned roughly ₹1,400 crore, though the exact figure varies by source.
Is Dangal a true story? Yes. It is based on Mahavir Singh Phogat and his daughters Geeta and Babita Phogat from Balali, Haryana.
Do I need to watch Tiger Zinda Hai before Pathaan? Not strictly, but both belong to the YRF Spy Universe, and Pathaan includes a cameo by Salman Khan’s Tiger. Watching Tiger Zinda Hai first makes that cameo more fun.
Is Kabir Singh a remake? Yes. It is the Hindi remake of the 2017 Telugu film Arjun Reddy, made by the same director, Sandeep Reddy Vanga.
Why is Kabir Singh controversial? Critics argued it glamorises misogyny and possessive behaviour, while its defenders, including Shahid Kapoor, said it portrays a flawed character realistically.
Which film is best for a family evening? Check each film’s certification before choosing. Kabir Singh carries an A certificate from the CBFC, so it is not suitable for children.
Are these ratings from a personal viewing? They are our editorial ratings, informed by public critic and audience reception.