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Balaji Motion Pictures is an Indian film production and distribution company, subsidiary company of Balaji Telefilms Limited, established by Shobha Kapoor and her daughter Ekta Kapoor. Located in Mumbai, it produces and distributes Hindi films. The chairman of the company is former Bollywood actor, Jeetendra Kapoor. In 2017, the company released its biography, Kingdom of the Soap Queen: The Story of Balaji Telefilms.[1]
 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Entertainment |
| Founded | 2001 |
| Founder | Jeetendra Kapoor |
| Headquarters | Mumbai , India |
Key people |
|
| Products |
|
| Brands | ALTBalaji |
| Owner | Balaji Telefilms |
| Website | balajitelefilms |
Operations
editBalaji Motion Pictures is based in Mumbai in the Balaji House on New Link Road, Andheri West, Mumbai. It operates from its head office in Andheri West and has studios in Film City and other locations in Mumbai. In terms of studio facilities, Balaji Motion Pictures is one of the largest film production houses in Mumbai.
History
editBalaji Motion Pictures was set up in 2001 by Hindi television producer Ekta Kapoor with the purpose of venturing into film production. She produced Kyo Kii... Main Jhuth Nahin Bolta, released in 2001 with Govinda and Sushmita Sen in the lead roles. The film was a failure at the box office, collecting ₹13 crore (US$1.6 million).[2] Later, the company produced Kucch To Hai (2003), Krishna Cottage (2004) and Koi Aap Sa (2005), all of which did not fare well at the box office.[3]
In 2005, the company produced and released Kyaa Kool Hai Hum, which grossed ₹21.5 crore (US$2.6 million)[4] and made it to the top 10 films of 2005.[5]
In 2007, the company co-produced Shootout at Lokhandwala with Sanjay Gupta. It was a critical and commercial success,[6] collecting ₹68.17 crore (US$8.2 million) worldwide.[7]
In 2008, the company produced and released C Kkompany, which was a critical and commercial failure.[8] In the same year, the company co-produced Mission Istanbul and EMI – Liya Hai Toh Chukana Parega with Sunil Shetty. Both films failed critically and commercially.[9] In the same year, the company acquired the distribution rights of Bhool Bhulaiyaa (2007)[10] and Sarkar Raj (2008) with a deal of almost ₹40 crore (US$4.8 million).[11] The films were both commercially successful, thereby making a step further for Balaji.
In 2010, the company's sub-branded ALT Entertainment, a youth-focused brand, produced a low-budget film, Love Sex aur Dhokha,[12] which was a sleeper hit at the box office.[13] In the same year, the company released Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai, which was also a critical and commercial success.[14] This film marked the company's successful entry into film industry.[15][16][17]
In 2011, the company marked its entry into Marathi films by producing Taryanche Bait.[18] The film was a critical and commercial hit[19] and won many accolades including three awards for Best Film.[20] The company also released Shor in the City, a small-budget critically acclaimed film.[21][22] The same year also saw the release of Ragini MMS, co-produced with Amit Kapoor and Sidhartha M. Jain. The film won the Stardust Award for Best Film, and Ekta Kapoor announced the sequel of the film would be released in 2013, starring Indo-Canadian actress Sunny Leone.[23] The company released The Dirty Picture starring Vidya Balan on 2 December 2011. This proved to be a major blockbuster and was regarded as one of the best films of 2011, winning Vidya Balan her first National Award and numerous acting awards of 2011 for her performance. The film won six awards for Best Film.[24]
In 2012, the company released its first adult comedy, Kyaa Super Kool Hai Hum, sequel to the 2005 hit Kyaa Kool Hai Hum, which was slammed by critics but was a box office success, made on a budget of ₹13 crore (US$1.6 million) and collecting ₹33 crore (US$4.0 million) in its first week.[25]
In April 2013, the company released the horror film Ek Thi Daayan, co-produced with Vishal Bhardwaj. It received positive reviews from critics and received 3 out of 5 on average. Jinson John of Indian Box Office stated "Ek Thi Daayan is not that regular Bhootiya story, the plot stands out of them all, it's surely is an experimental plot, but not written by an idiot."[citation needed] The film opened at around 30–40% occupancy, with a better opening in multiplexes rather than single screens, netting around ₹18.07 crore (US$2.2 million) over the first weekend.[citation needed]
In May 2013, the company released Shootout at Wadala. The film opened to mixed-to-positive reviews. Bollywood Hungama rated the film with stars whereas The Times of India rated it stars.[26] Made on a shoestring budget of ₹26 crore (US$3.1 million), the film grossed ₹54.6 crore (US$6.5 million) worldwide. The film was declared "average" by Box Office India.[27] In July 2013, the company released Lootera, starring Sonakshi Sinha and Ranveer Singh as leads. It opened to positive reviews from critics. Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama rated the film stars, saying, "On the whole, LOOTERA is an intrinsically earnest and profoundly heartwarming story that stays in your heart. An absolute must for those who love romantic films or are romantic at heart. This one's a cinematic gem!"[28] Raja Sen of Rediff.com gave it stars and noted, "Lootera is a gorgeous, gorgeous film, one that uses its period setting affectionately, with loving detail, and not exploitative as our cinema wont to do."[29] Meena Iyer of The Times of India assigned the film stars and noted, "Lootera is a love saga of yore... You may find this film boring if state-of-the-art, slow romance is not your idea of a movie outing."[30] The film was made on a budget of ₹27 crore (US$3.2 million) and netted ₹38 crore (US$4.6 million) worldwide in its lifetime.[31]
In August 2013, the company released Once Upon ay Time in Mumbai Dobaara!, the sequel to one of its most successful films, Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai.[32] The film opened to negative reviews from critics, some of whom slammed it for its poor drafting and execution of storyline.[33] The film was made on a high budget of ₹85 crore (US$10 million) to ₹100 crore (US$12 million) and collected ₹70 crore (US$8.4 million) worldwide, thereby netting a loss, and was declared a "flop".[34]
On February 28, 2014, the company released Shaadi Ke Side Effects starring Farhan Akhtar and Vidya Balan. It opened to positive reviews and collected ₹5.7 crore (US$680,000) on its first day. It grossed ₹21.2 crore (US$2.5 million) in its opening weekend. It grossed ₹70 crore (US$8.4 million) worldwide during its lifetime run and was declared "below average" by Box Office India.[35]
On March 21, 2014, the company released Ragini MMS 2, starring Sunny Leone, the sequel to another successful film of the company, Ragini MMS. Made on a budget of ₹18 crore (US$2.2 million), the film opened to mixed reviews from critics and went on to collect ₹65 crore (US$7.8 million).[35] The film was a major commercial success and was declared a "hit" by Box Office India.[36]
On April 4, 2014, the company released Main Tera Hero, starring Varun Dhawan as the protagonist, directed by David Dhawan. It received positive reviews from critics. Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama rated it stars, and wrote "On the whole, Main Tera Hero is a wild, wacky, madcap entertainer that has the unmistakable stamp of the master of entertainers – David Dhawan. An over-the-top plot, humor quotient and performances are three aces the film stands on. The film should work well with admirers of typical Bollywood masalathons, also because Varun Dhawan pulls off the act with flamboyance and bowls you over with an uproarious act in this zany entertainer. Go, have fun and laugh out loud!"[37] Srijana Mitra Das of The Times of India gave the movie stars, saying, "Main Tera Hero is a pav bhaji picture, quick, spicy, hot. It has the depth of a comic strip but it also has its neon-shaded fun. For those who want a light laugh, here's your boy."[citation needed] Made on a budget of ₹42.5 crore (US$5.1 million), the movie went on to collect ₹77 crore (US$9.2 million) worldwide[35] and was declared a "hit" by Box Office India.
On May 30, 2014, the company released the small-budget film Kuku Mathur Ki Jhand Ho Gayi, co-produced by Bejoy Nambiar.[citation needed] It opened to mixed reviews from critics and also failed to collect at the box office. It collected a mere ₹3 crore (US$360,000), thereby recovering its costs.[citation needed]
In June 2014, the company released Ek Villain co-starring celebrities Sidharth Malhotra, Shraddha Kapoor and Riteish Deshmukh. It opened up to positive reviews from critics. Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama awarded the movie 4/5 stars and wrote, "On the whole, Ek Villain is a stylish, spellbinding and terrifying edge-of-the-seat thriller. It's a step forward in this genre, without a doubt. A sure-shot winner!"[38] Radita Tandon from Filmfare gave the film stars and noted that, "Though indulgent in parts, Ek Villain packs in a punch. Copy of a Korean film or not, it's 'good' paisa vasool entertainment. Make it your weekend watch."[citation needed] Meena Iyer of The Times of India gave the film stars, stating that "You cannot fault the scale of Ek Villain or berate its lead star cast. But you wish you could celebrate this thriller like you did Suri's last movie outing Aashiqui 2."[citation needed] The film, made on a budget of ₹35 crore (US$4.2 million), went on to collect ₹105.05 crore (US$13 million) in India[39] and grossed ₹135 crore (US$16 million) (approx.) with a distributor share of ₹49.75 crore (US$6.0 million) itself in India.[40] The film was declared a "super hit" by Box Office India.
Film production
editUpcoming films
edit| Year | Title | Director(s) | Cast | Genre | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under the banner BALAJI MOTION PICTURES | ||||||
| 2024 | The Sabarmati Report | Dheeraj Sarna (Replaced Ranjan Chandel) | Vikrant Massey, Raashii Khanna | Thriller Drama | Releasing on 15th November | |
| Vrushubha | Nanda Kishore | Mohanlal | Historical Fiction | Multi-lingual Film[56] | ||
Film distribution
edit| # | Year | Title | Genre | Director | Cast | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2007 | Darling | Ram Gopal Varma | |||
| 2 | Bhool Bhulaiyaa | Priyadarshan | ||||
| 3 | 2008 | Sarkar Raj | Ram Gopal Varma | |||
| 4 | 2013 | Vishwaroop | Kamal Haasan | |||
| 5 | 2017 | Lipstick Under My Burkha | Alankrita Shrivastava | |||
| 6 | 2022 | Jersey | Gowtam Tinnanuri |
References
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- ^ "Box Office Report of 2001". Archived from the original on 18 January 2013.
- ^ "rediff.com Movies: Bollywood box-office report". in.rediff.com. Archived from the original on 27 October 2023. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
- ^ "Kya Kool grossess Rs 21.5 crores". Archived from the original on 30 June 2012.
- ^ "Kya Kool in 3 Top hits of 2005". Archived from the original on 30 April 2013.
- ^ "Shoot Out is the biggest hit of Balaji till date". Archived from the original on 27 October 2011. Retrieved 16 July 2012.
- ^ "Shootout at Lokhandwala". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 18 November 2023. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
- ^ "Top 5: Rock On scores, C Kkompany, Chamku fail : Bollywood News". Bollywood Hungama. 6 September 2008. Archived from the original on 18 November 2023. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
- ^ "rediff.com Movies: Mission Istanbul, Money Hai flop". specials.rediff.com. Archived from the original on 9 May 2013. Retrieved 16 July 2012.
- ^ "Balaji acquires Priyadarshan's Bhool Bhulaiyaa".
- ^ "Balaji acquires Ram Gopal's Sarkar Raj". 7 August 2021. Archived from the original on 10 May 2013. Retrieved 16 July 2012.
- ^ "Ekta to produce up a different film". Archived from the original on 13 May 2013.
- ^ "LSD a rare to see hit film". 19 March 2010. Archived from the original on 25 January 2012. Retrieved 16 July 2012.
- ^ "Once Upon a Time is Superhit". Archived from the original on 7 August 2010.
- ^ "'Once Upon a Time In Mumbaai' releases July 30". News18. 31 May 2010. Archived from the original on 4 July 2018. Retrieved 4 July 2018.
- ^ "The return of Ekta". www.fortuneindia.com. 8 November 2012. Archived from the original on 9 April 2023. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
- ^ "The Sunday Tribune – Spectrum". Archived from the original on 4 July 2018. Retrieved 4 July 2018.
- ^ "Ekta's next in Marathi". Archived from the original on 17 January 2013.
- ^ "Ekta's Taryanche Bait takes Extraordinary opening". May 2020. Archived from the original on 28 January 2012. Retrieved 16 July 2012.
- ^ "Ekta's marathi venture bags top accolades". Archived from the original on 19 January 2011.
- ^ "Lifetime Box-office collection of Shor in the City". Archived from the original on 18 November 2011. Retrieved 18 July 2012.
- ^ "Review:Shor in the City is a terrific Film". Archived from the original on 21 September 2012.
- ^ "Sunny Leone signed for Ragini MMS 2". Archived from the original on 15 July 2012.
- ^ "The Dirty Picture Awards: List of Awards won by Hindi movie The Dirty Picture". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 29 June 2023. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
- ^ Team, Koimoi com (1 August 2012). "Kyaa Super Kool Hain Hum 1st 5 Days Box Office Collection". Koimoi. Archived from the original on 29 June 2023. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
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- ^ "Lootera (2012) | Hindi Movie Critic Review By – Bollywood Hungama". Bollywood Hungama. 24 April 2012. Archived from the original on 24 April 2012.
- ^ Sen, Raja. "Review: Lootera is an absolute masterpiece". Rediff. Archived from the original on 18 November 2023. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
- ^ "Lootera Movie Review". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 3 February 2016. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
- ^ "Lifetime Business & Economics Of LOOTERA". Archived from the original on 15 February 2014. Retrieved 4 February 2014.
- ^ "Once Upon Ay Time In Mumbai Dobaara: Another film to hit the jackpot?". 17 August 2013. Archived from the original on 17 August 2013.
- ^ "Anupama Chopra's review: Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai Dobaara! – Hindustan Times". 17 August 2013. Archived from the original on 17 August 2013.
- ^ Mehta, Ankita (24 August 2013). "'Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai Dobaara' Box Office Collection: Akshay Starrer Earning Declines in Week 2". www.ibtimes.co.in. Archived from the original on 29 June 2023. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
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