Balaji Motion Pictures
Balaji Motion Pictures is a wholly owned subsidiary company of Balaji Telefilms Limited which is an Indian film production and distribution company established by Shobha Kapoor and her daughter Ekta Kapoor. Based in Mumbai, it mainly produces and distributes Hindi films. The chairman of the company is former Bollywood actor Jeetendra Kapoor.
 | |
| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Entertainment |
| Founded | 2001 |
| Founder | Jeetendra Kapoor |
| Headquarters | , |
Key people | Shobha Kapoor Ekta Kapoor Ruchikaa Kapoor Nachiket Pantvaidya |
| Products | Films Music |
| Brands | ALT Entertainment ALTBalaji |
| Owner | Balaji Telefilms |
| Parent | Balaji Telefilms |
| Website | balajitelefilms |
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. In terms of studio facilities, Balaji Motion Pictures is one of the largest film productions houses in Mumbai.
History
Balaji Motion Pictures (Balaji Films) 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 as the leads. The film was not a success, collecting ₹13 crore (US$1.8 million).[1] Later, the company produced Kucch To Hai, Krishna Cottage and Koi Aap Sa in 2003, 2004 and 2005 respectively. The movies did not fare well at the box office.[2]
In 2005, the company produced and released Kyaa Kool Hai Hum, which grossed ₹21.5 crore (US$3.0 million)[3] and made it to the top three films of 2005.[4]
In 2007, the company co-produced Shootout at Lokhandwala with Sanjay Gupta. It was a critical and commercial hit,[5] collecting ₹68.17 crore (US$9.6 million) worldwide.[6]
In 2008, the company produced and released C Kkompany, which was a commercial and critical failure.[7] 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.[8]
Also in 2008, the company acquired the distribution rights of Bhool Bhulaiyaa[9] and Sarkar Raj with a deal of almost ₹40 crore (US$5.6 million).[10] The films were both commercially successful, thereby marking a step further of Balaji.
In 2010, the company sub-branded ALT Entertainment, a youth focused brand and produced a low-budget movie, Love Sex aur Dhokha,[11] which proved to be a critically and commercially successful film.[12]
In the same year, the company released Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai, which was also a commercial and critical hit.[13] The films marked the company's successful entry into film.[14][15][16]
In 2011, the company marked its entry into Marathi films by producing Taryanche Bait.[17] The film was a critical and commercial hit[18] and won many accolades including three awards for Best Film.[19]
The company also released Shor in the City, a small-budget critically acclaimed movie.[20][21]
The same year also saw the release of Ragini MMS, co-produced with Amit Kapoor and Sidhartha M. Jain. The movie won the Stardust Award for Best Film, and Ekta Kapoor announced the sequel of the film would be released in 2013, starring Indo-Canadian Sunny Leone.[22]
The company released The Dirty Picture starring Vidya Balan on 2 December 2011. This proved to be a huge blockbuster and was one of the best films of 2011, winning Vidya Balan her first National Award and all other awards of 2011 for her performance. The movie won six awards for Best Film.
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$1.8 million) and collecting ₹33 crore (US$4.6 million) in its first week.
In 2013, the company released the horror film Ek Thi Daayan, co-produced with Vishal Bhardwaj. It received a mostly positive response. It was well-accepted by 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." The film opened at around 30-40% occupancy, with a better opening in multiplexes rather than single screens, netting around ₹18.07 crore (US$2.5 million) over the first weekend. In May 2013, the company released Shootout at Wadala. The film opened to many great reviews. Bollywood Hungama rated the film with 
stars whereas The Times of India rated it 
stars.[23] Made on a shoestring budget of ₹26 crore (US$3.6 million), the film grossed ₹54.6 crore (US$7.7 million) worldwide. The film was declared "average" by Box Office India.
In July 2013, the company released Lootera, starring Ranveer Singh and Sonakshi Sinha as leads. It opened to positive reviews from many 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!"[24] 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."[25] 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."[26] The film was made on a budget of ₹27 crore (US$3.8 million) and netted ₹38 crore (US$5.3 million) worldwide in its lifetime.[27]
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.[28] The film opened to mixed reviews from critics, some of whom slammed it for its poor drafting and execution of storyline.[29] The film was made on a high budget of ₹85 crore (US$12 million) to ₹100 crore (US$14 million) and collected ₹70 crore (US$9.8 million) worldwide, thereby netting a loss, and was declared a "flop".
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$800,000) on its first day. It grossed ₹21.2 crore (US$3.0 million) in its opening weekend. It grossed ₹70 crore (US$9.8 million) worldwide during its lifetime run and was declared "below average" by Box Office India.[30]
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$2.5 million), the film opened to mixed reviews from critics and went on to collect ₹65 crore (US$9.1 million).[30] The film was a major commercial success and was declared a "hit" by Box Office India.[31]
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!"[32] 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." Made on a budget of ₹42.5 crore (US$6.0 million), the movie went on to collect ₹77 crore (US$11 million) worldwide[30] 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. It opened to mixed reviews from critics and also failed to collect at the box office. It collected a mere ₹3 crore (US$420,000), thereby recovering its costs.
In June 2014, the company released Ek Villain co-starring Sidharth Malhotra and Shraddha Kapoor. It opened 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 doubt. A sure-shot winner!"[33] 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." 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." The film, made on a budget of ₹35 crore (US$4.9 million), went on to collect ₹105.05 crore (US$15 million) in India[34] and grossed ₹135 crore (US$19 million) (approx.) with a distributor share of ₹49.75 crore (US$7.0 million) itself in India.[35] The film was declared a "super hit" by Box Office India.
Film production
Upcoming films
| No. | Year | Title | Director(s) | Cast | Genre | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2020 | KTina | Ashima Chibber | Disha Patani | Comedy | Filming[38] |
| 2 | 2020 | Pagglait | Umesh Bist | Sanya Malhotra | Comedy | Filming[39] |
| 3 | 2021 | Shararara | Anees Bazmee | Vicky Kaushal, Sara Ali Khan | Comedy | Pre-production[40] |
| 4 | 2021 | Ek Villian 2 | Mohit Suri | John Abraham | Suspense | Scripting[41] |
Film distribution
| Year | Film | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Darling | Ram Gopal Varma | |
| 2008 | Bhool Bhulaiyaa | Priyadarshan | |
| 2008 | Sarkar Raj | Ram Gopal Varma | |
| 2013 | Vishwaroop | Kamal Haasan | |
| 2017 | Lipstick Under My Burkha | Alankrita Shrivastava |
References
- "Box Office Report of 2001". Archived from the original on 18 January 2013.
- Television Queen Ekta Kapoor flops at Box-office
- "Kya Kool grossess Rs 21.5 crores". Archived from the original on 30 June 2012.
- "Kya Kool in 3 Top hits of 2005". Archived from the original on 30 April 2013.
- "Shoot Out is the biggest hit of Balaji till date".
- "Box Office report of Shootout At Lokhandwala".
- C Kkompany flops at Indian Box-office
- "Mission Istanbul fails at Box Office".
- "Balaji acquires Priyadarshan's Bhool Bhulaiyaa".
- "Balaji acquires Ram Gopal's Sarkar Raj".
- "Ekta to produce up a different film". Archived from the original on 13 May 2013.
- "LSD a rare to see hit film".
- "Once Upon a Time is Superhit". Archived from the original on 7 August 2010.
- Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai markks successful re-entry of Balaji
- The return of Ekta Kapoor
- A Brand called Ekta Kapoor
- "Ekta's next in Marathi". Archived from the original on 17 January 2013.
- "Ekta's Taryanche Bait takes Extraordinary opening".
- "Ekta's marathi venture bags top accolades".
- "Lifetime Box-office collection of Shor in the City".
- "Review:Shor in the City is a terrific Film". Archived from the original on 21 September 2012.
- "Sunny Leone signed for Ragini MMS 2". Archived from the original on 15 July 2012.
- Review:Shootout At Wadala- The Times of India
- Lootera is a terrific gem - Taran Adarsh
- Lootera is an absolute masterpiece - Raja Sen
- Lootera is Lovesaga of yore - Meena Iyer, The Times of India
- Lifetime collections and Economics of Lootera
- Once Upon Ay Time in Mumbai Dobaara: Another film to hit the jackpot?
- Anupama Chopra's review: Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai Dobaara!
- Box office collextions Jan to April 2014 Archived 8 May 2014 at the Wayback Machine
- Ragini MMS 2 is one of the major commercial success of 2014
- Main Tera Hero is the masala entertainer of 2014 - Taran Adarsh
- Ek Villain is stylish and a sure-shot winner - Taran Adarsh
- Ek Villain is first for Balaji to enter 100 crore club
- Ek Villain makes 49.75 crore share for its distributors
- Balaji Motion Pictures next Laila Majnu with Imtiyaz Ali
- "Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare: Konkona, Bhumi's movie to have world premiere at Busan International Film Festival- Entertainment News, Firstpost". Firstpost. 5 September 2019.
- "Disha Patani starts shooting for KTina. Is she playing Ekta Kapoor? See first look". India Today. 25 October 2019.
- "Two powerful producers. One heartwarming tale. Ekta Kapoor and Guneet Monga join hands for #Pagglait starring Sanya Malhotra. Directed by Umesh Bist, the first schedule of the film kickstarted in Lucknow!". Balaji Motion Pictures on Twitter. 21 November 2019.
- "Sara Ali Khan to romance Vicky Kaushal in Anees Bazmee's next produced by Ekta Kapoor".
- "Arjun Kapoor roped in for the sequel of Ek Villian".
