In recent years, Bollywood has increasingly focused on creating biopics about various personalities, leading to questions about the earnings these individuals receive from such films. For instance, Babita Phogat recently criticized the film “Dangal,” which grossed nearly ₹2000 crores, stating that her family only received ₹1 crore from the producers.
Among the notable figures, Milkha Singh took the least amount for his biopic. The 2013 film “Bhaag Milkha Bhaag,” directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra and starring Farhan Akhtar, was both a critical and commercial success. Initially, producers offered Milkha ₹2 crores, but he accepted only ₹1.
Similarly, former Indian cricket captain Mohammad Azharuddin chose not to accept any payment for his biopic. The 2016 film “Azhar,” featuring Emraan Hashmi, portrayed his life.
In 2014, the biopic “Mary Kom,” directed by Omung Kumar and starring Priyanka Chopra, was released. The celebrated boxer Mary Kom charged just ₹25 lakhs for her story, which also performed well at the box office.
Conversely, Sanjay Dutt received the highest remuneration for his biopic. The 2018 film “Sanju,” directed by Rajkumar Hirani and featuring Ranbir Kapoor as Dutt, reportedly netted him around ₹9 crores, along with a share of the film’s total profits.