Balaji Motion Pictures is based inMumbai 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 inMumbai. In terms of studio facilities, Balaji Motion Pictures is one of the largest film production houses in Mumbai.[citation needed]
Balaji Motion Pictures was set up in 2001 by Hindi television producerEkta Kapoor with the purpose of venturing into film production. She producedKyo Kii... Main Jhuth Nahin Bolta, released in 2001 withGovinda andSushmita Sen in the lead roles. The film was a failure at the box office, collecting₹13 crore (US$1.5 million).[2] Later, the company producedKucch To Hai (2003),Krishna Cottage (2004) andKoi Aap Sa (2005), all of which did not fare well at the box office.[3]
In 2005, the company produced and releasedKyaa Kool Hai Hum, which grossed₹21.5 crore (US$2.5 million)[4] and made it to the top 10 films of 2005.[5]
In 2007, the company co-producedShootout at Lokhandwala withSanjay Gupta. It was a critical and commercial success,[6] collecting₹68.17 crore (US$8.1 million) worldwide.[7]
In 2008, the company produced and releasedC Kkompany, which was a critical and commercial failure.[8] In the same year, the company co-producedMission Istanbul andEMI – Liya Hai Toh Chukana Parega withSunil Shetty. Both films failed critically and commercially.[9] In the same year, the company acquired the distribution rights ofBhool Bhulaiyaa (2007)[10] andSarkar Raj (2008) with a deal of almost₹40 crore (US$4.7 million).[11] The films were both commercially successful, thereby making a step further for Balaji.
In 2011, the company marked its entry intoMarathi films by producingTaryanche 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 releasedShor in the City, a small-budget critically acclaimed film.[21][22] The same year also saw the release ofRagini MMS, co-produced with Amit Kapoor and Sidhartha M. Jain. The film won theStardust Award for Best Film, and Ekta Kapoor announced the sequel of the film would be released in 2013, starring Indo-Canadian actressSunny Leone.[23] The company releasedThe Dirty Picture starringVidya 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 adultcomedy,Kyaa Super Kool Hai Hum, sequel to the 2005 hitKyaa Kool Hai Hum, which was slammed by critics but was a box office success, made on a budget of₹13 crore (US$1.5 million) and collecting₹33 crore (US$3.9 million) in its first week.[25]
In April 2013, the company released thehorror filmEk Thi Daayan, co-produced withVishal 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 regularBhootiya 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$2.1 million) over the first weekend.[citation needed]
In May 2013, the company releasedShootout at Wadala. The film opened to mixed-to-positive reviews.Bollywood Hungama rated the film with stars whereasThe Times of India rated it stars.[26] Made on a shoestring budget of₹26 crore (US$3.1 million), the film grossed₹54.6 crore (US$6.5 million) worldwide. The film was declared "average" by Box Office India.[27] In July 2013, the company releasedLootera, starringSonakshi Sinha andRanveer Singh as leads. It opened to positive reviews from critics.Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama rated the film 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 ofRediff.com gave it 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 ofThe Times of India assigned the film 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$3.2 million) and netted₹38 crore (US$4.5 million) worldwide in its lifetime.[31]
In August 2013, the company releasedOnce 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$10 million) to₹100 crore (US$12 million) and collected₹70 crore (US$8.3 million) worldwide, thereby netting a loss, and was declared a "flop".[34]
On February 28, 2014, the company releasedShaadi Ke Side Effects starringFarhan Akhtar andVidya Balan. It opened to positive reviews and collected₹5.7 crore (US$670,000) on its first day. It grossed₹21.2 crore (US$2.5 million) in its opening weekend. It grossed₹70 crore (US$8.3 million) worldwide during its lifetime run and was declared "below average" by Box Office India.[35]
On March 21, 2014, the company releasedRagini MMS 2, starringSunny Leone, the sequel to another successful film of the company,Ragini MMS. Made on a budget of₹18 crore (US$2.1 million), the film opened to mixed reviews from critics and went on to collect₹65 crore (US$7.7 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 releasedMain Tera Hero, starringVarun Dhawan as theprotagonist, directed byDavid Dhawan. It received positive reviews from critics. Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama rated it 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 ofThe Times of India gave the movie 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$5.0 million), the movie went on to collect₹77 crore (US$9.1 million) worldwide[35] and was declared a "hit" by Box Office India.
On May 30, 2014, the company released the small-budget filmKuku Mathur Ki Jhand Ho Gayi, co-produced byBejoy 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$350,000), thereby recovering its costs.[citation needed]
In June 2014, the company releasedEk Villain co-starring celebritiesSidharth Malhotra,Shraddha Kapoor andRiteish 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 fromFilmfare gave the film 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 ofThe Times of India gave the film stars, stating that "You cannot fault the scale ofEk Villain or berate its lead star cast. But you wish you could celebrate this thriller like you did Suri's last movie outingAashiqui 2."[citation needed] The film, made on a budget of₹35 crore (US$4.1 million), went on to collect₹105.05 crore (US$12 million) in India[39] and grossed₹135 crore (US$16 million) (approx.) with a distributor share of₹49.75 crore (US$5.9 million) itself in India.[40] The film was declared a "super hit" by Box Office India.[citation needed]
stars.[26] Made on a shoestring budget of₹26 crore (US$3.1 million), the film grossed₹54.6 crore (US$6.5 million) worldwide. The film was declared "average" by Box Office India.[27] In July 2013, the company releasedLootera, starringSonakshi Sinha andRanveer Singh as leads. It opened to positive reviews from critics.Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama rated the film
