India’s First Film Star to Hit 100 Cr: It’s Not Salman or Akshay

The term “₹100-crore club” became popular in Bollywood at the end of the 2000s. Films like Ghajini and 3 Idiots achieved this milestone in India. This benchmark quickly became a standard for measuring a film’s success. However, many believe that Ghajini or Om Shanti Om were the first Indian films to reach ₹100 crore. In reality, the first film to achieve this was from the 1980s. It notably did not star traditional icons like Amitabh Bachchan or Rishi Kapoor.

India’s First ₹100-Crore Film

Disco Dancer holds the honor of being the first Indian film to gross ₹100 crore. Directed by Babbar Subhash, this musical drama often gets overlooked in discussions about the ₹100-crore club. The majority of its earnings came from international markets. Released in India in 1982, Disco Dancer earned ₹6.4 crore domestically. This was a significant amount at that time. However, its true success came after its 1984 release in the Soviet Union. The film became a sensation there, selling over 12 crore tickets. It earned 60 million roubles (approximately ₹94.28 crore). This brought its global total to ₹100.68 crore, surpassing Sholay as the highest-grossing Indian film.

Cultural Impact and Legacy

Mithun Chakraborty played the lead role in Disco Dancer. He became a cultural icon in the Soviet Union due to the film’s popularity. For years, Disco Dancer remained a cultural phenomenon in Russia and China. Its songs, especially Jimmy Jimmy, became chart-toppers. Today, many film clubs in Russia still screen Disco Dancer as part of their vintage collections. The film also featured actors like Rajesh Khanna, Kim, Om Puri, Gita Siddharth, and Karan Razdan. Bappi Lahiri’s disco music added to its appeal.

Subsequent ₹100-Crore Films

Disco Dancer paved the way for other Indian films to achieve the ₹100-crore mark. In 1994, Hum Aapke Hain Koun set records with a gross of ₹128 crore. The following year, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge earned ₹103 crore. Other films that crossed this threshold include Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, Gadar, Dhoom 2, Krrish, and Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna. These films generated significant earnings from foreign markets. The ₹100-crore club became firmly established in 2008 when Ghajini earned ₹120 crore in India alone.