Special Report: Alia Bhatt becomes the FIRST Bollywood actress post-COVID to deliver a hattrick of Rs. 100 cr + movies at the India box office

By Fenil Seta -

December 13, 2023 - 4:00 PM IST

Alia Bhatt faced criticism over her performance in Student Of The Year (2012). However, she silenced her critics with her outstanding performance in Highway (2014). She smartly chose films that were entertaining and mainstream and yet had something for her to prove her worth as an actor. This resulted in a superb track record and an insane fan following. Hence, it wouldn’t be wrong to call her the youngest female superstar of Bollywood. And in the post-Covid era, she has set a record. She’s the only actress to deliver a hattrick of Rs. 100 crore plus movie at the domestic box office.

Special Report: Alia Bhatt becomes the FIRST Bollywood actress post-COVID to deliver a hattrick of Rs. 100 cr + movies at the India box office

Alia Bhatt had two releases in 2019 – a hit in the form of Gully Boy and a flop, Kalank. Her first theatrical release after the pandemic was Gangubai Kathiawadi (2022). It was the first biggie to be released after the third wave. Due to the subject and supposed fear of going to cinemas, many were unsure if a film like this would work. But Gangubai Kathiawadi surprised one and all. It opened at Rs. 10.50 crores, spreading jubilation among trade, industry and exhibitors. Sanjay Leela Bhansali handled the film beautifully while Alia took his execution and writing to another level. Hence, it picked up and went on to collect Rs. 129.10 crores at the box office.

This was followed by Brahmastra (2022). There was a lot of negativity from a section of social media users. However, the excitement outweighed the trolling and it opened very well. The reports were positive and it ended up earning Rs. 257.44 crores at the India box office. It ensured that the upcoming part will also open on a strong note.

Alia Bhatt’s only theatrical release in the year 2023 was Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani. It had a slow start, collecting Rs. 11.10 crores. But as soon as the word of mouth spread, there was no stopping this film. It hardly faced any drop in the weekdays, which proved that there was an urgency and excitement to catch the film. Alia looked out of the world in the sarees and rocked the show with her strong performance. The film went on to collect Rs. 153.60 crores.

That’s not all. Alia Bhatt also had three digital releases. The first one, Sadak 2 (2020), was forgettable. But Darlings (2022) was a huge success on Netflix. Heart Of Stone (2023), co-starring Gal Gadot, suffered negativity. However, it grabbed eyeballs across the world as it was a huge international film. Finally, she was seen in the Telugu historic blockbuster RRR (2022), albeit in a cameo.

Incidentally, when it comes to actors, Alia Bhatt’s husband Ranbir Kapoor is the only one who has given a hattrick of Rs. 100 crore movies at the India box office.

Also Read: Trade experts discuss why Animal star Ranbir Kapoor is leaps and bounds ahead of his contemporaries: “You can add him to the league of Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan and Hrithik Roshan”