India’s costliest films: Ramayana, Toxic and more cross Rs 4,000 crore

Dubai: Indian cinema is entering an era of unprecedented spending, with filmmakers backing ambitious projects featuring massive sets, cutting-edge visual effects and star-studded casts. The reported combined budgets of some of the biggest productions have now crossed the Rs 4,000-crore mark. Nitesh Tiwari’s two-part Ramayana leads the list, with its reported Rs 4,000-crore budget including both films as well as release and promotional costs, according to Yash.

Here’s a look at some of India’s most expensive films and the staggering sums being invested in them.

Reported budget: Rs 4,000 crore

Nitesh Tiwari’s ambitious two-part adaptation of the Ramayana is being mounted on an unprecedented scale, with the combined project reportedly costing around Rs 4,000 crore. Ranbir Kapoor plays Lord Rama, with Sai Pallavi as Sita, Yash as Ravana, and Sunny Deol as Hanuman. Production is being developed with extensive visual effects and international ambitions. The first part is scheduled for 2026, followed by the second instalment in 2027. Ranbir Kapoor revealed Part 2 is already 50% shot, while Part 1 is set for release on November 6, 2026.

Reported budget: Rs 700–800 crore

Starring Yash, Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups is a high-scale period gangster drama directed by Geetu Mohandas. The film features an ensemble cast including Kiara Advani, Nayanthara, Huma Qureshi, Tara Sutaria and Rukmini Vasanth. Set against a stylised criminal underworld, the film combines action, drama and elaborate production design. Its reported budget has been widely discussed, although recent reports have put the figure closer to Rs 500 crore, making the exact cost disputed. The film is set to release on August 26, with advance bookings showing strong demand. Reports on August 24 said more than 6 lakh tickets had been sold, with advance collections crossing Rs 30 crore, signalling significant pre-release interest.

Reported budget: Rs 600 crore

Nag Ashwin’s Kalki 2898 AD combines Indian mythology with futuristic science fiction. Prabhas leads the film as Bhairava, alongside Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone and Kamal Haasan. Set in a dystopian future inspired by the mythology surrounding Kalki, the film was built around extensive visual effects, futuristic sets and large-scale action. Released in 2024, it became one of Indian cinema’s biggest productions and grossed more than Rs 1,000 crore worldwide.

Reported budget: Rs 550 crore

S.S. Rajamouli’s RRR brought together Telugu stars N.T. Rama Rao Jr. and Ram Charan in a fictional story inspired by two real-life revolutionaries, Komaram Bheem and Alluri Sitarama Raju. Released in 2022, the action epic featured elaborate sets, large crowd sequences and ambitious visual effects. Its scale extended beyond India, with the film becoming a major international success and winning an Academy Award for the song Naatu Naatu.

Reported budget: Rs 500 crore

Directed by Om Raut, Adipurush is a large-scale mythological adaptation inspired by the Ramayana—Prabhas stars as Raghava, with Kriti Sanon as Janaki and Saif Ali Khan as Lankesh. The 2023 film relied heavily on computer-generated imagery to recreate its mythological world, characters and battles. Despite its enormous production investment and strong opening, the film faced criticism over its visual treatment and dialogue, becoming one of the most debated Indian releases of 2023.

Reported budget: Rs 450 crore

Shankar’s 2.0 brought Rajinikanth back as scientist Vaseegaran and his robot alter ego Chitti, with Akshay Kumar playing the antagonist Pakshirajan. The 2018 Tamil-language science-fiction action film was designed as a technological spectacle, featuring extensive visual effects and elaborate action sequences. It also marked Akshay Kumar’s major entry into Tamil cinema. The film, a sequel to Enthiran, was released in multiple languages and became one of India’s biggest visual-effects productions.

Reported budget: Rs 410 crore

Sukumar’s Pushpa 2: The Rule reunited Allu Arjun, Rashmika Mandanna, and Fahadh Faasil to continue Pushpa Raj’s story. Released in 2024, the Telugu-language action drama expanded the world established by Pushpa: The Rise, with larger action sequences, elaborate sets and a wider commercial scale. Allu Arjun’s performance as Pushpa became a major attraction, while the film emerged as one of the biggest box-office successes in Indian cinema.

Reported budget: Rs 405 crore

Prabhas stars in The Raja Saab, a Telugu horror-comedy directed by Maruthi. The film combines supernatural elements, comedy, and romance, marking a departure from the actor's previous large-scale action and mythological productions. Its ensemble cast includes Malavika Mohanan, Nidhhi Agerwal and Riddhi Kumar. With extensive visual effects and elaborate production requirements, the film has been reported as one of the costliest Telugu productions.

Reported budget: Rs 400 crore

Venkat Prabhu’s The Greatest of All Time, or GOAT, stars Vijay in multiple roles, including a younger digitally de-aged version of the actor. The 2024 Tamil science-fiction action thriller also features Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Meenakshi Chaudhary and Sneha. The film combines espionage, action, and futuristic technology, using extensive visual effects to create a younger version of Vijay and large-scale action sequences.

Reported budget: Rs 375 crore

Ayan Mukerji’s Brahmāstra: Part One – Shiva launched an ambitious fantasy universe inspired by Indian mythology. Ranbir Kapoor plays Shiva, a young man who discovers supernatural powers, while Alia Bhatt stars as Isha. Amitabh Bachchan, Nagarjuna and Mouni Roy also feature prominently. Released in 2022, the Hindi-language fantasy adventure was built around extensive visual effects and introduced the concept of the Astraverse, planned as a larger cinematic universe.

Note: Budget figures are reported estimates and can vary between producers, trade publications and media reports. The Rs 4,000 crore figure for Ramayana refers to the two-part project, while Toxic’s reported budget remains disputed; recent NDTV reporting cites approximately Rs500 crore.

Source: Producers’ statements and Indian media/trade reports; budgets are reported estimates.

Budget figures: Reported by film producers and Indian media/trade reports