Yearender 2025 | From Kantara Chapter 1's Roar To Dhurandhar's Surge: Highest-Grossing Indian Films Of The Year

Hyderabad: The Indian box office in 2025 saw tough competition, but a few films attracted large audiences to theatres. Although no film reached the Rs 1,000 crore mark, positive word of mouth allowed several releases to earn impressive amounts. The year featured a variety of top films, including action spectacles, fantasy dramas, romantic stories, and historical narratives. Here's a closer look at the highest-grossing films of 2025 and how Dhurandhar made a significant late impact on the charts.

Kantara: A Legend Chapter - 1

Director: Rishab Shetty

Cast: Rishab Shetty, Jayaram, Rukmini Vasanth, Gulshan Devaiah

Released on the occasion of Diwali (October 2), Rishab Shetty-starrer action fantasy film Kantara: Chapter 1 currently holds the title of the highest-grossing film of 2025. However, Ranveer Singh's Dhurandhar may break this record. Made on a reported budget of Rs 130 crore, Kantara: Chapter 1 earned Rs 622.5 crore in India and did a worldwide business of Rs 853.4 crore. This film has received the blockbuster tag.

Directed by Rishab Shetty and produced by Vijay Kiragandur and Chaluve Gowda under Hombale Films, the Kannada-language epic mythological action film is a prequel to the 2022 film Kantara. Set in pre-colonial coastal Karnataka, the prequel delves deeper into the origins of the tradition and ancestral conflict introduced in the first film.

Chhaava

Director: Laxman Utekar

Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Rashmika Mandanna, Akshaye Khanna, Vineet Kumar Singh

Among Bollywood films in 2025, the highest-grosser is Chhaava. It stars Vicky Kaushal and Rashmika Mandanna. The film was released in February 2025. Directed by Laxman Utekar, the film was made on a reported budget of Rs 150 crore. Chhaava collected Rs 604.1 crore at the domestic box office, and it is believed that Dhurandhar could break this domestic record. The worldwide collection of Chhaava stands at Rs 808.7 crore. All eyes are now on Dhurandhar. Chhaava also received a blockbuster tag.

Produced by Dinesh Vijan under Maddock Films, Chhaava is a historical action drama based on the life of Maratha king Sambhaji Maharaj. Vicky Kaushal plays the titular role, with Maharani Yesubai being portrayed by Rashmika Mandanna. Akshaye Khanna is featured as the Mughal ruler Aurangzeb. The film is based on Maharishi Shivaji Sawant's Marathi novel Chhava, with music by AR Rahman.

Dhurandhar

Director: Aditya Dhar

Cast: Ranveer Singh, Akshaye Khanna, Sanjay Dutt, R Madhavan, Arjun Rampal, Sara Arjun, Rakesh Bedi

The recently released action thriller film Dhurandhar, featuring Ranveer Singh, Akshaye Khanna, Sanjay Dutt, R Madhavan, Arjun Rampal, and Sara Arjun, is currently dominating the box office. Made on a budget of Rs 250-280 crore, Dhurandhar is earning at a blistering pace. The film has become the fastest movie of 2025 to earn Rs 350 crore, achieving this milestone in just 10 days of its release.

On the global front, Dhurandhar has crossed the Rs 500 crore mark worldwide. The film tells the story of Indian spy Hamza, who infiltrates Pakistan and joins Rehman Dakait's gang. Inspired by real-life events like the Kandahar hijack and the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, it takes place in early-2000s Pakistan and focuses on dismantling the infamous Lyari gangs.

Saiyaara

Director: Mohit Suri

Cast: Ahaan Panday, Aneet Padda

Released in July, Saiyaara remained the third highest-grossing film of 2025 until November, but on December 15, Dhurandhar pushed it down by one position. However, Saiyaara is the highest-grossing romantic drama in Indian cinema. IMDb tagged it as the Most Popular Film of 2025.

Starring Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda, the film garnered massive attention. Made on a modest budget of Rs 50 crore, the film exceeded expectations by collecting Rs 575.8 crore worldwide. Its domestic box office collection stands at Rs 337.07 crore. The film became hugely popular for its songs as well, especially the title track Saiyaara, which crossed 500 million views on YouTube.

Produced by Yash Raj Films, Saiyaara marks the Bollywood debut of Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda (first role as a lead actor). The story revolves around Krish Kapoor (Panday), an aspiring musician, and Vaani Batra (Padda), a reserved writer. The film explores themes of young love, heartbreak, and personal growth.

Coolie

Director: Lokesh Kanagaraj

Cast: Rajinikanth, Nagarjuna Akkineni, Aamir Khan, Upendra Rao, Pooja Hegde, Shruti Haasan

After Kantara: Chapter 1, the second-highest-grossing South Indian film of the year is superstar Rajinikanth's Coolie. The film was made on a budget of Rs 350 crore and collected Rs 260.3 crore in India and Rs 516.7 crore worldwide. Until November, Coolie was ranked fourth in terms of earnings. In domestic collections, Coolie has now also been beaten by Dhurandhar. Coolie received an average verdict.

The gangster action drama Coolie is about a mysterious man who takes on a corrupt syndicate exploiting labourers in a port town. Produced by Kalanithi Maran under Sun Pictures, the film has music by Anirudh Ravichander, cinematography by Girish Gangadharan, and editing by Philomin Raj. It was released in standard, D-Box, and 4DX formats.

War 2

Director: Ayan Mukerji

Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Jr NTR, Kiara Advani

War 2 was one of the most anticipated films of 2025, but it didn't meet audience expectations. Viewers were thrilled to see Hrithik Roshan and Jr NTR on screen together for the first time. They wanted intense action, a solid story, and great chemistry between Hrithik and Jr NTR, but that didn't happen.

Made on a budget of Rs 350 crore, War 2 collected Rs 240.5 crore domestically and only Rs 400 crore worldwide. The film was declared a flop. Notably, Dhurandhar has left War 2 far behind in both domestic and worldwide collections. Until November 2025, War 2 was Bollywood's third highest-grossing film, but due to Dhurandhar's impressive run, it slipped to fourth place. War 2 is now the sixth-highest-grossing film of 2025.

War 2 serves as the sixth instalment in the YRF Spy Universe, and is a direct sequel to the 2019 hit War. The film brings together Hrithik Roshan reprising his role as Kabir, and Jr NTR making his Bollywood debut, alongside Kiara Advani, Anil Kapoor, and Ashutosh Rana.

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