The year 2016 was a great year for Indian Cinema as the industry came up with several amazing movies who did a commendable business at the box office.
Though the first quarter was a little at the box office, with most of the movies having an average run, the situation changed later and the year witnessed 9 movies entering the coveted Rs 100 crore club.
From the sterling sports biopics like ‘M.S. Dhoni – The Untold Story’, ‘Dangal’ hitting the silver screen, to the breath-taking courtroom drama of ‘Pink’ and even a walk down the childhood memories with ‘The Jungle Book’, the year witnessed it all.
So as 2016 is coming to an end, we bring you the blockbuster movies that ruled the box office this year:
Sultan: Released on Eid in July this year, ‘Sultan’ was based on wrestling with Salman Khan playing the role of a wrestler for the first time on the big screen. While the fans went crazy with Salman’s daavs in the akhada, his striking chemistry with Anushka Sharma in the movie also won a lot of appreciation. Helmed by Ali Abbas Zafar, the movie was a YRF production. Interestingly, while most of the movies struggle to cross the Rs 100 crore mark, ‘Sultan’ made a lifetime business of Rs 300.45 crore and is said to be one of Salman's best films so far.
The Jungle Book: Remember the famous story of Mowgli, we have all seen during our childhood days? Well, Disney Pictures reprised the same story on the big screen starring child actor Neel Sethi as Mowgli. Released on April 8, the movie, which was directed and co-produced by Jon Favreau, was made in both English and Hindi. ‘The Jungle Book’ not just made millions relive their childhood days but also did a phenomenal collection of 181.75 Crore.
M.S. Dhoni – The Untold Story: This has been one of the most talked about movies of the year. As the title suggested, the movie was based on the life of ace Indian cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Actor Sushant Singh Rajput essayed the role of Dhoni and he gave the movie his best performance so far. While the biopic explored several unknown aspects of Dhoni’s life, it also brought SSR in an altogether different avatar. Release on September 30, ‘M.S. Dhoni – The Untold Story’ made a lifetime collection of Rs 133.04 crore.
Dangal: Starring superstar Aamir Khan in the lead, ‘Dangal’ was one of the most awaited movies of 2016. The movie happens to be a biopic on renowned wrestler Mahavir Singh Phogat, who taught wrestling to his daughters Geeta Phogat and Babita Kumari. Aamir was seen playing the role of Mahavir Singh Phogat along with newcomers Fatima Sana Shaikh, Sanya Malhotra essaying his onscreen daughters. Directed by Nitesh Tiwari, ‘Dangal’ was released on December 23. The movie has made a business of Rs 132.43 crore in its first week so far.
Airlift: Based on a true event of biggest ever human evacuation mission conducted by India, ‘Airlift’ featured Akshay Kumar and Nimrat Kaur in the lead. The movie, which won a lot of appreciation form the audience and critics, became the first hit of 2016 with an earning of Rs 128.1 crore. Directed by Raja Krishna Menon, ‘Airlift’ was released on 22 January.
Rustom: Another most talked about movie of the year was Akshay Kumar starrer ‘Rustom’. The movie was based on the popular Nanavati case and had Akki playing the role of a Naval officer. Directed by Tinu Suresh Desai and produced by Neeraj Pandey, ‘Rustom’ aslo featured Ileana D'Cruz, Arjan Bajwa and Esha Gupta in key roles. Released on August 12, this Akshay Kumar starrer also reserved a place in the prestigious Rs 100 crore club with a collection of Rs 127.49 crore.
Ae Dil Hai Mushkil: Karan Johar’s directorial ‘Ae Dil Hai Mushkil’ grabbed a lot of attention before release owing to the conflict of featuring Pakistani actors in Indian movies. It features Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma and Fawad Khan in lead roles. Besides the steamy scenes between Aish and Ranbir also helped the movie stay in the headlines. Well, all the controversies did somehow helped ADHM in its box office run. Released on October 28, the movie made an earning of 112.48 crore.
Housefull 3: Actor Akshay Kumar had hit a hattrick this year, as his another movie ‘Housefull 3’ too entered the Rs 100 crore club with a collection of Rs 109.14 crore. Helmed by Sajid-Farhad, the movie is the third instalment of the popular comedy franchise ‘Housefull’. Apart from Akshay Kumar, the movie also featured Abhishek Bachchan, Riteish Deshmukh, Jacqueline Fernandez, Nargis Fakhri, and Lisa Haydon in the lead roles.
Shivaay: The Indian box office hit on Diwali, witnessed a mega clash between Karan Johar’s ‘Ae Dil Hai Mushkil’ and Ajay Devgn’s ‘Shivaay’. Interestingly Ajay had turned director producer for ‘Shivaay’ which also featured him in the lead role along with Sayyeshaa Saigal and Erika Kaar. Though, ‘Shivaay’ wasn’t able to surpass the collections of ADHM, it made a business of Rs 100.33 crore at the box office.
Fan: Superstar Shah Rukh Khan came up with his sole release of the year Fan on April 15. The movie had SRK playing a double role on the silver screen. It created a lot of hype much before its release and even had a grand trailer launch organized by the makers. Directed by Maneesh Sharma did a lifetime earning of Rs 84.10 crore.
Baaghi: Starring Tiger Shroff and Shraddha Kapoor in the lead, ‘Baaghi’ was released on April 29. The movie features some breath-taking action sequences by Tiger and lead antagonist Sudheer Babu. Directed by Sabbir Khan made a lifetime business of Rs 76.34 crore at the box office.
Neerja: Actress Sonam Kapoor amazed the audience with her stellar performance in Ram Madhvani’s directorial ‘Neerja’. Released on February 19, the movie was based on the life of 'Neerja Bhanot' youngest recipient of India's highest bravery award, the Ashok Chakra. The story indeed touched the heart of the nations and minter Rs 75.61 crore during its box office run.
Kapoor & Sons: We got to see veteran actor Rishi Kapoor in one of his most adorable avatar on the big screen this year in ‘Kapoor & Sons’. Directed by Shakun Batra, the movie was a complete multi-starrer family drama featuring Sidharth Malhotra, Fawad Khan and Alia Bhatt in leading roles, while Ratna Pathak and Rajat Kapoor were cast in supporting roles. Released on March 18, ‘Kapoor & Sons’ earned a lifetime collection of Rs 73.29 crore.
Dishoom: Starring Varun Dhawan and John Abraham in the lead, ‘Dishoom’ was helmed by Rohit Dhawan. The movie was an action comedy and featured Akshaye Khanna as a lead antagonist. Released on July 29, ‘Dishoom’ did a business of 70 crores.
Dear Zindagi: This Gauri Shinde directorial was way different from the usual masala movies featuring superstar Shah Rukh Khan. Also starring Alia Bhatt, the movie dealt with the issue of mental health which is often brushed beneath the carpet. Besides, ‘Dear Zindagi’ featured several heart-touching dialogues that fit in well with today’s world. Release on November 25, the movie earned Rs 67.94 crore during its run at the box office.
Pink: Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury directorial, ‘Pink’ featured some of the most powerful performances of the year. Starring Amitabh Bachchan, Taapsee Pannu, Kirti Kulhari, Angad Bedi, Andrea Tariang, Piyush Mishra, and Dhritiman Chatterjee in key roles, the movie featured a courtroom drama and was declared hit as soon as it got released. The feminist flavor of ‘Pink’ impressed the nation so much that the movie made a business of Rs 65.39 crore.
