10 BIGGEST Holi Hits

Unlike Eid, Diwali and Christmas, Holi is yet to entice Bollywood film-makers to plan their big releases.

This may have to do with the fact that for a major part of the day, theatres are closed as the staff is given a partial holiday to enjoy the festival.

Also, March is also the month of school and college exams.

Still, over the last 10 years, a few films have made their mark by releasing in the Holi weekend.

Joginder Tuteja takes a look.

 

Baaghi 3, 2020
Box office collection: Rs 95 crore

Last year, Holi fell on a Tuesday and that was perfect for BaaghI 3 as it allowed an extended holiday weekend.

But this was also the time when the pandemic was gaining ground.

As a result, crowds did not come as much as they normally have to watch this Tiger Shroff starrer.

 

Kesari, 2019
Box office collection: Rs 154.41 crore

Akshay Kumar's Kesari had a Holi opening in 2019 and that brought in good numbers.

Word of mouth helped the film, and by the time the night shows happened, the Karan Johar production was running houseful.

Kesari remains the biggest ever Holi release till date.

 

Pari, 2018
Box office collection: Rs 28.96 crore

Anushka Sharma decided to release her horror film Pari during Holi and that helped the film.

Horror films have a limited audience, but Pari covered its costs and brought in profits too.

 

Badrinath Ki Dulhania, 2017
Box office collection: Rs 116.60 crore

Badrinath Ki Dulhania made the most of the Holi holiday.

Karan Johar's fun entertainer was just right for audiences.

 

Kapoor & Sons, 2016
Box office collection: Rs 73.30 crore

Yet another Karan Johar production, Kapoor & Sons benefited from the Holi weekend as well.

Family audiences liked Shakun Batra's film and the terrific cast led by Rishi Kapoor, Sidharth Malhotra, Alia Bhatt and Fawad Khan.

With chartbuster music, Kapoor & Sons emerged a good hit.

Dum Laga Ke Haisha, 2015
Box office collection: Rs 30.50 crore

Even though Mallika Sherawat's much delayed Dirty Politics released on Holi in 2015, it was Dum Laga Ke Haisha that made the most of the festive weekend.

In its second week, Ayushmann Khurranna and Bhumi Pednekar's film had started making a lot of noise at the box office.

 

Queen, 2014
Box office collection: Rs 61 crore

If Ayushmann benefited from the Holi weekend in 2015, the year before that, his Bewakoofiyaan couldn't leverage the festivities.

Instead, Kangana Ranaut's Queen continued to find appreciative audiences that week and the weeks to follow.

 

Jolly LLB, 2013
Box office collection: Rs 32 crore

The story was the same in 2013, when Priyadarshan's Rangrezz, starring Jackky Bhagnani, did not perform despite being a decent entertainer.

The film which continued to find its audience right into the Holi week was Jolly LLB.

 

Paan Singh Tomar, 2012
Box office collection: Rs 15 crore

One of Irrfan's biggest solo hits, Paan Singh Tomar was an unlikely choice for a Holi release, but that was the time when films weren't really planned for festive occasions.

Paan Singh Tomar took a modest start, but the word of mouth was so strong that it remained consistent at the box office.

 

Tanu Weds Manu, 2011
Box office collection: Rs 40 crore

There was no big release for Holi in 2011.

As a result, it was Tanu Weds Manu, which had released in February, that continued to rake in the numbers.

The R Madhavan-Kangana Ranaut starrer found footfalls for weeks in succession after a modest start and eventually gained a lot.