Meet India’s most successful director with ₹4200 crore gross, 0 flops; not Bhansali, Hirani, Karan Johar, Rohit Shetty

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Feb 23, 2025 01:57 PM IST

This pan-India filmmaker’s films have beaten Bollywood heavyweights like Karan Johar, Rohit Shetty, and Sanjay Leela Bhansali at the box office.

If box office earnings are the biggest metric of success, then it is only logical that the most ‘successful’ filmmaker be the one whose films have earned the most money at the box office. In this respect, even as Bollywood has dominated the Indian cine scene, one maverick from the South has everyone beat. With 12 films, he has earned over ₹4000 crore at the box office.

India's most successful film director, whose films have earned <span class= — India’s most successful film director, whose films have earned ₹4200 crore at the box office.

India’s highest-grossing film director

Telugu titan SS Rajamouli is the highest-grossing director in the history of Indian cinema. Unsurprisingly, he has done it on the back of the success of his pan-India Baahubali franchise and the globally successful RRR. These films and his previous successes, including Eega and Magadheera, have earned him ₹4250 crore at the box office. A staggering ₹2400 crore of this has come from the two Baahubali films alone. With this box office gross, Rajamouli is head and shoulders clear of any challengers in India.

The two Baahubali films have earned ₹2400 crore at the box office.

The men that Rajamouli beat

The highest-grossing filmmaker from Hindi cinema is Rohit Shetty, whose films have grossed almost ₹3200 crore at the box office. He sits second in India’s top 10 list behind Rajamouli. They are the only two film directors whose films have collectively grossed over ₹3000 crore. Pushpa-fame Sukumar comes in at number three with a cumulative gross of over ₹2650 crore. Hindi filmmakers Siddharth Anand and Nitesh Tiwari round up the top 5, registering a cumulative gross of over ₹2400 crore. The only other Indian filmmakers in the ₹2000-crore club are Rajkumar Hirani and Prasanth Neel.

Stalwarts like Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Karan Johar, and Mani Ratnam are not in the top 10 with cumulative gross between ₹1300 and 1700 crore.

SS Rajamouli has directed two films that have grossed over ₹1000 crore each.

Rajamouli’s 100% success rate

Over the course of his career, SS Rajamouli has directed 12 films, all of which have been successful at the box office. In fact, barring two exceptions, all of his films have earned more than his previous release. Three of his most recent films have been certified all-time blockbusters, while two others are superhits or blockbusters as well. The director is currently busy with his next starring Mahesh Babu. The film reportedly also stars Priyanka Chopra. No title or release date has been announced yet.