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Balaji Motion Pictures

21st century Indian film studio From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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]

IndustryEntertainment
Founded2001
FounderJeetendra
Quick facts Type, Industry ...
Balaji Motion Pictures
TypePrivate
IndustryEntertainment
Founded2001
FounderJeetendra
Headquarters
Mumbai
,
India
Key people
Products
  • Film
  • Music
OwnerBalaji Telefilms
Websitebalajitelefilms.com
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Operations

Balaji 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.[citation needed]

History

Balaji 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$1.3 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$2.2 million)[4] and made it to the top 10 Indian films of 2005 by Box Office India.[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$7.1 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$4.2 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$1.3 million) and collecting 33 crore (US$3.4 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$1.9 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 StarStarStarStarStar stars whereas The Times of India rated it StarStarStarStar stars.[26] Made on a shoestring budget of 26 crore (US$2.7 million), the film grossed 54.6 crore (US$5.7 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 StarStarStarStar 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 StarStarStarStar 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 StarStarStarStar 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$2.8 million) and netted 38 crore (US$3.9 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$8.8 million) to 100 crore (US$10 million) and collected 70 crore (US$7.3 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$590,000) on its first day. It grossed 21.2 crore (US$2.2 million) in its opening weekend. It grossed 70 crore (US$7.3 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$1.9 million), the film opened to mixed reviews from critics and went on to collect 65 crore (US$6.7 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 StarStarStarHalf star 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 StarStarStarHalf star 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$4.4 million), the movie went on to collect 77 crore (US$8.0 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$310,000), 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 StarStarStarStar 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 StarStarStar 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$3.6 million), went on to collect 105.05 crore (US$11 million) in India[39] and grossed 135 crore (US$14 million) (approx.) with a distributor share of 49.75 crore (US$5.2 million) itself in India.[40] The film was declared a "super hit" by Box Office India.[citation needed]

Film production

More information Year, Title ...
List of Balaji Motion Pictures film productions
Year Title Director(s) Cast Languages Genre Notes
2001 Kyo Kii... Main Jhuth Nahin Bolta David Dhawan Govinda, Sushmita Sen, Rambha Hindi Comedy
2003 Kucch To Hai Tusshar Kapoor, Esha Deol, Anita Hassanandani, Yash Tonk Hindi Horror
2004 Krishna Cottage Santram Verma Sohail Khan, Isha Koppikar, Anita Hassanandani Reddy Hindi
2005 Kyaa Kool Hai Hum Sangeeth SivanTusshar Kapoor, Riteish Deshmukh, Isha Koppikar, Neha Dhupia Hindi
Koi Aap Sa Partho Mitra Aftab Shivdasani, Anita Hassanandani, Dipannita Sharma, Himanshu Malik Hindi Romance
2007 Shootout at Lokhandwala Apoorva Lakhia Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt, Sunil Shetty, Vivek Oberoi, Arbaaz Khan, Amrita Singh, Tusshar Kapoor, Rohit Roy Hindi Crime
2008 Mission Istanbul Vivek Oberoi, Shriya Saran, Zayed Khan Hindi Co-produced with Popcorn Motion Pictures
C Kkompany Sachin Yardi Tusshar Kapoor, Anupam Kher, Rajpal Yadav, Raima Sen Hindi Comedy
EMI – Liya Hai Toh Chukana Parega Saurabh Kabra Arjun Rampal, Sanjay Dutt, Urmila Matondkar, Malaika Arora Khan, Aashish Chaudhary, Neha Oberoi Hindi Social Co-produced with Popcorn Motion Pictures
2010 Love Sex Aur Dhokha Dibakar Banerjee Anshuman Jha, Nushrat Bharucha, Sandeep Bose, Rajkummar Rao Hindi Found footage
Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai Milan Luthria Ajay Devgn, Emraan Hashmi, Kangana Ranaut, Prachi Desai Hindi Gangster
2011 Taryanche Bait Kiran Yadnyopavit Vinay Apte, Sachin Khedekar, Ashwini Giri, Ashmita Joglekar Marathi Drama
Shor in the City Sendhil Ramamurthy, Tusshar Kapoor, Nikhil Dwivedi Hindi
Ragini MMS Pawan Kripalani Rajkummar Rao, Kainaz Motivala Hindi
  • Horror
  • Thriller
Co-produced with iRock Films
The Dirty Picture Milan Luthria Vidya Balan, Emraan Hashmi, Tusshar Kapoor, Naseeruddin Shah Hindi Biographic
2012 Kyaa Super Kool Hai Hum Sachin Yardi Tusshar Kapoor, Riteish Deshmukh, Neha Sharma Hindi Comedy
2013 Ek Thi Daayan Kannan Iyer Emraan Hashmi, Konkana Sen Sharma, Huma Qureshi, Kalki Koechlin Hindi Thriller Co-produced with VB Pictures
Shootout at Wadala Sanjay Gupta Anil Kapoor, John Abraham, Kangana Ranaut, Manoj Bajpayee, Tusshar Kapoor Hindi
  • Gangster
  • Crime
Lootera Vikramaditya Motwane Ranveer Singh, Sonakshi Sinha Hindi Romance Co-produced with Phantom Films
Once Upon a Time In Mumbaai Dobara Milan Luthria Akshay Kumar, Imran Khan, Sonakshi Sinha Hindi
  • Crime
  • Romance
Sequel to Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai (2010)
2014 Shaadi Ke Side EffectsSaket Chaudhary Farhan Akhtar, Vidya Balan Hindi Romcom
Ragini MMS 2 Bhushan Patel Sunny Leone Hindi
  • Horror
  • Thriller
Sequel to Ragini MMS
Main Tera Hero David Dhawan Varun Dhawan, Ileana D'Cruz, Nargis Fakhri Hindi Romance
Kuku Mathur Ki Jhand Ho Gayi Aman Sachdeva Siddharth Gupta, Simran Kaur Mundi Hindi
  • Comedy
  • Romance
Co-produced with Bejoy Nambiar
Ek Villain — There's one in every love story Mohit Suri Sidharth Malhotra, Riteish Deshmukh, Shraddha Kapoor Hindi
  • Romance
  • Thriller
2016 Kyaa Kool Hain Hum 3 Umesh Ghadge Tusshar Kapoor, Aftab Shivdasani, Mandana Karimi Hindi Adult comedy
Azhar Tony D'Souza Emraan Hashmi, Nargis Fakhri, Prachi Desai, Lara Dutta Hindi Biopic Co-produced with Sony Pictures Networks
Udta Punjab Abhishek Chaubey Shahid Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Kareena Kapoor, Diljit Dosanjh Hindi
  • Crime
  • Drama
Co-produced with Phantom Films
Great Grand Masti Indra Kumar Vivek Oberoi, Ritesh Deshmukh, Aftab Shivdasani, Urvashi Rautela Hindi Adult comedy
A Flying Jatt Remo D'Souza, Priyadarshan Tiger Shroff, Jacqueline Fernandez Hindi
2017 Half Girlfriend Mohit Suri Arjun Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor Hindi Romance
Super Singh Anurag Singh Diljit Dosanjh, Sonam Bajwa Punjabi
  • Co-produced with Brat Films
2018 Veere Di Wedding Shashanka Ghosh Kareena Kapoor, Sonam Kapoor, Swara Bhaskar, Shikha Talsania, Sumeet Vyas Hindi Comedy-drama Co-produced with Anil Kapoor Films
Laila Majnu Sajid Ali Mir Sarwar, Avinash Tiwary, Abrar Qazi, Saransh, Tripti Dimri, Ruchikaa Kapoor Hindi Romance, Drama Co-production with PI Pictures[41]
2019 Judgementall Hai Kya Prakash Kovelamudi Kangana Ranaut, Rajkummar Rao Hindi Comedy, Thriller
  • Co-produced with Karma Media and Entertainment
  • and ALT Entertainment
Jabariya Jodi Prashant Singh Sidharth Malhotra, Parineeti Chopra Hindi Romance, Comedy
  • Co-produced with Karma Media and Entertainment
  • and ALT Entertainment
Dream Girl Raaj Shaandilyaa Ayushman Khurrana, Nushrat Bharucha Hindi Comedy, Humour
2022 Ek Villain Returns Mohit Suri John Abraham, Arjun Kapoor, Disha Patani, Tara Sutaria Hindi Thriller [42]
Goodbye Vikas Bahl Amitabh Bachchan, Rashmika Mandanna Hindi Drama [43]
Dobaaraa Anurag Kashyap Taapsee Pannu Hindi Thriller
2023 Dream Girl 2 Raaj Shaandilyaa Ayushmann Khurrana, Ananya Panday, Paresh Rawal, Seema Pahwa, Manjot Singh, Vijay Raaz, Annu Kapoor, Rajpal Yadav, Abhishek Banerjee, Asrani Hindi Comedy [44]
Thank You for Coming Karan Boolani Bhumi Pednekar, Shehnaaz Gill, Dolly Singh, Kusha Kapila, Shibani Bedi Hindi Social Comedy [45]
2024 Crew Rajesh A Krishnan Tabu, Kareena Kapoor, Kriti Sanon, Diljit Dosanjh Hindi Comedy drama [46][47]
Love Sex Aur Dhokha 2 Dibakar Banerjee Paritosh Tiwari, Bonita Rajpurohit, Abhinav Singh, Swastika Mukherjee, Mouni Roy, Uorfi Javed Hindi Anthology drama [48]
The Buckingham Murders Hansal Mehta Kareena Kapoor, Rukku Nahar, Keith Allen, Ash Tandon, Jonathan Nyati Hindi Mystery Thriller Premiere at the 67th BFI London Film Festival[49]
Binny And Family Sanjay Tripathi Rajesh Kumar, Charu Shankar, Pankaj Kapur, Himani Shivpuri Hindi Comedy Satire Co-produced with Mahaveer Jain Films and Waveband Productions[50][51]
Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video Raaj Shaandilyaa Rajkumar Rao, Tripti Dimri Hindi Comedy Co-produced by T-Series, Kathavachak Films and Wakaoo Films[52]
The Sabarmati Report Dheeraj Sarna Vikrant Massey, Raashii Khanna, Riddhi Dogra Hindi Thriller Drama Co-Produced by Vikir Films Production
2025 Mastiii 4 Milap Zaveri Riteish Deshmukh, Aftab Shivdasani, Vivek Oberoi, Arshad Warsi, Tusshar Kapoor Hindi Co-produced with Zee Studios, Maruti International and Sri Adhikari Brothers
Vrusshabha Nanda Kishore Mohanlal, Roshan Meka, Siddique, Meena, Zahrah S. Khan, Shanaya Kapoor, Shine Tom Chacko, Joju George, Meka Srikanth, Telugu/ Malayalam Action Fantasy Drama [53]
2026 Bhooth Bangla Priyadarshan Akshay Kumar, Tabu, Paresh Rawal, Wamiqa Gabbi, Asrani, Mithila Palkar, Rajpal Yadav, Jisshu Sengupta, Manoj Joshi, Rajesh Sharma Hindi Comedy horror Co-produced with Cape of Good Films
Released on OTT Platforms
2020 Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare Alankrita Shrivastava Konkona Sen Sharma, Bhumi Pednekar Hindi Comedy satire Released on Netflix[54]
2021 Pagglait Umesh Bist Sanya Malhotra, Shruti Sharma, Ashlesha Thakur Hindi Comedy Released on Netflix[55]
2022 Freddy Shashanka Ghosh Kartik Aaryan, Alaya F Hindi Thriller Released on Disney+ Hotstar
2023 U Turn Arif Khan Alaya F Hindi Thriller Released on ZEE5
Kathal Yashowardhan Mishra Sanya Malhotra, Anant V Joshi, Vijay Raaz Hindi Satirical comedy thriller Released on Netflix
Jaane Jaan Sujoy Ghosh Kareena Kapoor Khan, Jaideep Ahlawat, Vijay Varma Hindi Crime thriller Released on Netflix[56]
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Upcoming films

More information Year, Title ...
List of Balaji Motion Pictures upcoming film productions
Year Title Director(s) Cast Languages Genre Notes
Under the banner BALAJI MOTION PICTURES
2026 The Vvaan – Force of the Forrest Deepak Kumar Mishra Sidharth Malhotra, Tamannaah Bhatia, Maniesh Paul, Sunil Grover, Shweta Tiwari, Anup Soni Hindi Thriller Co-produced with TVF Motion Pictures and 11:11 Productions[57]
2027 Hero Ki Horrorine Sajid Khan Yashvardhan Ahuja, Nitanshi Goel, Sunita Ahuja, Jamie Lever, Chunky Panday, Brijendra Kala, Simrat Kaur Comedy horror Co-produced with Jai Ho Media Ventures[58]
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Film distribution

More information #, Year ...
List of Balaji Motion Pictures film distributions
# Year Title Director Notes
1 2007DarlingRam Gopal Varma
2 Bhool BhulaiyaaPriyadarshan
3 2008Sarkar RajRam Gopal Varma
4 2013VishwaroopKamal Haasan
5 2017Lipstick Under My BurkhaAlankrita Shrivastava
6 2022JerseyGowtam Tinnanuri
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