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. In terms of studio facilities, Balaji Motion Pictures is one of the largest film production houses in Mumbai.
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$1.6million).[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$2.7million)[4] and made it to the top 10 films of 2005.[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$8.5million) 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$5.0million).[11] The films were both commercially successful, thereby marking a step further of Balaji.
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$1.6million) and collecting ₹33 crore (US$4.1million) in its first week.[25]
In April 2013, the company released the horror filmEk 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 Isshtoorry, 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$2.3million) 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 stars whereas The Times of India rated it stars.[26] Made on a shoestring budget of ₹26 crore (US$3.3million), the film grossed ₹54.6 crore (US$6.8million) 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 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 stars and noted, "Lootera is a gorgeous, gorgeous film, one that uses its period setting affectionately, with loving detail, and not exploitatively, as our cinema is wont to do."[29] Meena Iyer of The 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$3.4million) and netted ₹38 crore (US$4.8million) 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$11million) to ₹100 crore (US$13million) and collected ₹70 crore (US$8.8million) 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$710,000) on its first day. It grossed ₹21.2 crore (US$2.7million) in its opening weekend. It grossed ₹70 crore (US$8.8million) 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$2.3million), the film opened to mixed reviews from critics and went on to collect ₹65 crore (US$8.1million).[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 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 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$5.3million), the movie went on to collect ₹77 crore (US$9.6million) 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$380,000), 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] Raedita Tandon from Filmfare 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 of The Times of India gave the film 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$4.4million), went on to collect ₹105.05 crore (US$13million) in India[39] and grossed ₹135 crore (US$17million) (approx.) with a distributor share of ₹49.75 crore (US$6.2million) itself in India.[40] The film was declared a "super hit" by Box Office India.
Vishal Veeru Devgan, known professionally as Ajay Devgn, is an Indian actor, film director, and producer who works primarily in Hindi cinema. A leading actor of Hindi cinema, Devgn has appeared in over 100 films and has won numerous accolades, including four National Film Awards and four Filmfare Awards. In 2016, he was honoured by the Government of India with the Padma Shri, the country's fourth-highest civilian honour.
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Prachi Desai, is an Indian actress who primarily works in Hindi films and television. Desai is a recipient of several accolades including an IIFA Award and four Indian Telly Awards, as well as two Filmfare Awards nominations.
Ekta Kapoor is an Indian television producer, film producer and director who works in Hindi cinema and soap opera. She is the joint managing director and creative head of Balaji Telefilms Limited, which was founded in 1994. In 2001, Balaji Motion Pictures was launched as a subsidiary company of Balaji Telefilms Limited which is a film production and distribution company. She launched ALT Balaji in April 2017.
Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai is a 2010 Indian Hindi-language neo-noir crime thriller film written by Rajat Arora and directed by Milan Luthria. It stars Ajay Devgn, Emraan Hashmi, Kangana Ranaut, Prachi Desai and Randeep Hooda. Produced by Ekta Kapoor under the Balaji Motion Pictures banner, Once Upon A Time in Mumbaai was released on 30 July 2010 to generally positive reviews from critics, and was a box office hit. The film is loosely based on the lives of Mumbai underworld gangsters Haji Mastan and Dawood Ibrahim. A sequel, Once Upon ay Time in Mumbai Dobaara!, was released in 2013.
Sonakshi Sinha is an Indian actress who works in Hindi films. She is the daughter of actors and politicians Shatrughan Sinha and Poonam Sinha. She has appeared in Forbes India's Celebrity 100 list from 2012 to 2017 and in 2019. Sinha is the recipient of several accolades, including one Filmfare Award and two Zee Cine Awards.
Ayan Mukerji is an Indian filmmaker who works in Hindi films. A member of the Mukherjee-Samarth family, he is known for his collaborations with actor Ranbir Kapoor under Karan Johar's production banner Dharma Productions.
The Dirty Picture is a 2011 Indian Hindi-language biographical musical drama film inspired by the life of Silk Smitha, an Indian actress noted for her erotic roles. The filmmakers have clarified that the story is not officially or literally based on Smitha alone, but on many of her contemporaries such as Disco Shanti. It also resembles the personal lives of other women in popular culture, including actress and sex symbol Marilyn Monroe. The film was directed by Milan Luthria and co-produced by Shobha Kapoor and Ekta Kapoor, after Ekta came up with the idea and asked screenwriter Rajat Aroraa to pen a story based on it.
Once Upon ay Time in Mumbai Dobaara! is a 2013 Indian Hindi-language gangster film directed by Milan Luthria and produced by Ekta Kapoor and Shobha Kapoor. A sequel to 2010's Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai, the film stars Akshay Kumar, Imran Khan and Sonakshi Sinha, with Sonali Bendre in a special appearance. The film's title is an intentional misspelling of "Once upon a time in Mumbai Dobaara", done in accordance with Ekta's belief in numerology and astrology.
Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, also abbreviated as YJHD, is a 2013 Indian Hindi-language coming-of-age romantic comedy-drama film directed by Ayan Mukerji, written by Mukerji and Hussain Dalal, edited by Akiv Ali and produced by Karan Johar under Dharma Productions. It stars Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone in their second film together after Bachna Ae Haseeno (2008), alongside Kalki Koechlin and Aditya Roy Kapur.
Ek Thi Daayan is a 2013 Indian Hindi-language supernatural thriller film directed by Kannan Iyer, adapted from the short story Mobius Trips by Mukul Sharma. The film stars Emraan Hashmi, Huma Qureshi, Konkona Sen Sharma and Kalki Koechlin. The film is co-produced by Ekta Kapoor, Shobha Kapoor, Vishal Bhardwaj and Rekha Bhardwaj. It was released on 19 April 2013 to positive reviews from critics and decent box-office collections.
Ek Villain is a 2014 Indian Hindi-language action thriller film directed by Mohit Suri and jointly produced by Shobha Kapoor and Ekta Kapoor under Balaji Motion Pictures. Based on a script written by Tushar Hiranandani and Milap Milan Zaveri, it stars Riteish Deshmukh, Sidharth Malhotra and Shraddha Kapoor in lead roles.
Udta Punjab is a 2016 Indian Hindi-language crime drama film written and directed by Abhishek Chaubey, co-written by Sudip Sharma, and produced by Shobha Kapoor, Ekta Kapoor, Sameer Nair and Aman Gill under Balaji Motion Pictures in association with Anurag Kashyap, Vikas Bahl and Vikramaditya Motwane under Phantom Films. Loosely based on and revolving around the drug abuse by the youth population in the Indian state of Punjab and the various conspiracies surrounding it, the film stars an ensemble cast of Shahid Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Kareena Kapoor Khan and Diljit Dosanjh.
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Dream Girl is a 2019 Indian Hindi-language comedy-drama film directed by Raaj Shaandilyaa in his directorial debut and produced by Ekta Kapoor. The film focuses on a cross-gender actor whose female voice impersonation begets attention from others, and talks about depression and loneliness. It also stars Nushrat Bharucha, Annu Kapoor, Manjot Singh, Vijay Raaz and Abhishek Banerjee.
Ek Villain Returns is a 2022 Indian Hindi-language action thriller film directed by Mohit Suri and a sequel to his 2014 film Ek Villain. The film stars John Abraham, Arjun Kapoor, Disha Patani and Tara Sutaria.
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