What is the best way to determine how successful a film has been? This question has puzzled fans and analysts for decades. Some vouch for a film’s longevity and cultural impact, while others swear by box office collections. Even with the earnings, there is no one way. One school of thought is to see which film made more money, while the other argues for profitability. If taking the latter parameter, the most successful Indian film is one that had a 16-year-old in the lead and ended up making a 6000% profit. (Also read: How a 16-yr-old beat Priyanka, Kangana, Alia Bhatt to give India’s highest-grossing woman-led film, then quit Bollywood)

India’s most profitable film

The 2017 Advait Chandan film Secret Superstar remains the most profitable Indian film production ever. The slice-of-life drama, produced by Aamir Khan, was made on a shoestring budget of ₹15 crore. It did great business upon its release in India, earning ₹64 crore net (and ₹90 crore gross) in the domestic market. Add to it the ₹65 crore the film earned overseas, and it was already a monumental success. But then Secret Superstar was released in China, and the floodgates opened. The film earned over $124 million in the country, taking the film’s overall global haul to over ₹900 crore. This meant that it was able to earn more than 60 times its original investment, breaking Jai Santoshi Maa’s record of 20 times by a huge margin.

How Secret Superstar beat blockbusters

There are varying reports of exactly how much Secret Superstar earned. Some sources claim that the film earned ₹966 crore worldwide, while others put it at a more conservative ₹905 crore. But even if one goes by the most conservative figure, Secret Superstar was able to out-earn massive films like Stree 2 ( ₹857 crore), PK ( ₹769 crore), Gadar 2 ( ₹691 crore), and Baahubali: The Beginning ( ₹617 crore).

That Secret Superstar earned more than these films with a fraction of their budgets speaks volumes about its success. On top of that, the film did not have major star power. Aamir Khan had a cameo, but the film was largely centred on 16-year-old Zaira Wasim. Film analysts have attributed Secret Superstar’s massive success in China to Aamir and Zaira’s post-Dangal popularity in the country and the theme of teenage aspirations resonating with the audiences there. As of November 2024, Secret Superstar is the 10th highest-grossing Indian film ever.