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This Indian film sold 30 crore tickets in one country, was bigger than Dangal, RRR, Pushpa 2, earned just ₹3 cr in India
A film that earned just ₹3 crore in India managed to sell 30 crore tickets in another country, beating even the feats of Dangal, RRR, and Pushpa 2: The Rule.
As Maharaja closes in on the ₹100-crore mark in China, the performance of Indian films in the country has come in focus again. In the recent past, films like Dangal, Secret Superstar, and Andhadhun have minted crores there. Similarly, RRR and Pushpa 2 have done well in Japan and other Asian territories. Yet, the performances of these blockbusters pales in comparison to the earning of one small-budget crime thriller from 54 years ago.
The film that sold 30 crore tickets in China
Regarding overseas successes among Indian films, it is hard to replicate what the 1971 release Caravan did in China. A small film with a modest budget, Caravan starred Jeetendra and Asha Parekh in the lead roles. The Nasir Hussain directorial was a superhit in India, earning ₹3.6 crore at the box office and ending up as the sixth highest-grossing film of 1971 at the domestic Indian box office. But its real legacy-building run began eight years later, when it was released in China. Its original China release saw Caravan selling 8.8 crore tickets, which made it the highest-grossing foreign film ever in China up until then. The craze for Caravan was such that the film was re-released in China multiple times, with total footfalls going up to 30 crore, the highest for any Indian film in a single country. It beat Sholay's record in India and Awara's record in the Soviet to attain this peak.
How Caravan is a bigger overseas hit than Dangal, RRR, Pushpa 2
Dangal 2 has been considered the biggest Indian hit overseas, courtesy of its $238 million haul from China alone. It sold 4.31 crore tickets in China, just one-seventh of what Caravan managed. Similarly, SS Rajamouli's RRR created history in the US and Japan with record-breaking runs. The film collected nearly $20 million from these two territories but its combined footfalls here were 'just' 30 lakh. Pushpa 2: The Rule, the biggest Indian film in years, has sold 6 crore tickets in India in its first month and an estimated 1 crore overseas. Neither figure can hold a candle to what Caravan achieved.
About Caravan
Caravan may just be the most-watched Indian film in theatres due to its 32 crore footfalls worldwide. But since most of them were in re-releases, the crown currently sits atop Sholay's head. The Ramesh Sippy film sold 20 crore tickets in its original run. Caravan was a crime thriller inspired by Girl on the Run (1953). It starred Jeetendra, Asha Parekh, Aruna Irani, Mehmood Jr, and Helen, among others. The film was noted for its chartbuster songs - Chadhti Jawani, Piya Tu Ab To Aa Ja, Dilbar Dil Se Pyare, and Kitna Pyara Wada. Caravan grossed ₹35 crore worldwide, becoming among the highest-grossing Indian films in the 70s and 80s.
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