Bollywood and the term ‘larger than life’ go hand in hand. While most movies and their characters are often a reflection of our dreams and imaginations, sometimes what intrigues us the most, is probably not the storyline, but the grand theme of a movie in its entirety. The cinematography and the luxurious set where a movie is shot, definitely make a huge difference.
Here’s a list of the most expensive movie sets in Bollywood of recent times:
1. ‘Saawariya’- This list will contain Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s movies because obviously, no one has an eye for detail like this man. While ‘Saawariya’ turned out to be a cold cut at the box office and was even a debut for Sonam and Ranbir Kapoor, the lavish sets of dark blues and blacks is what the audience remembers. The movie’s set has a grand clock tower, a full-fledged city with snow and even lakes! Only he can do this.
2. ‘Ram Leela’- Another Bhansali entry in the list. The grandeur of the set had a key role in the whole development of the plot. He brought the flavour of Gujarat alive, without even shooting in the state, that is the brilliance of his brain. The insanely big courtyard of their ‘havelis’, the colourful lanes, and the opulent background of every song. This movie had it all.
3. ‘Bajirao Mastani’- Another beautiful movie from Bhansali. A special mention has to go to the scene where Priyanka Chopra’s room and the main darbar is revealed with the innumerable mirrors. It was called the ‘Aena Mahal’ which was inspired by the set of ‘Mughal-E-Azam’. Over 20,000 mirrors were used and it took around 45 days to build it.
4. ‘Padmaavat’- Okay, we cannot help but add this one as well to the list. The movie, which swam in an ocean of controversies, finally saw the light of the day amidst major boiling issues. While the actors were obviously praised for their acting skills, let’s give a moment to simply endure the grandeur of the movie set. Not to forget, that the set which cost over 35 crores, was even vandalised.
5. ‘Mughal-E-Azam’- This movie set a benchmark back in 1960 which is too high for movies even today. An insanely brilliant star cast, wonderful script and a never-before-seen movie set. ‘Pyar Kiya Toh Darna Kya’ was shot in a replica of the ‘Sheesh Mahal’ and Belgian glass was specially imported for the same.
6. ‘Prem Ratan Dhan Payo’- The movie was surely a commercial success, but you can always trust Rajshri Productions to perfect the art of making a movie set. The movie crossed a budget of over Rs. 90 crores and the set, apparently, cost over 15 crores alone.
7. ‘Jodha Akbar’- This period drama easily had one of the finest cinematography in Bollywood. The luxe sets were built in Karjat and are now opened for tourists now.
8. ‘Bombay Velvet’ – Sure, this was a box office dud, but it was also Anurag Kashyap’s most expensive project. Apparently, the set was made across a 9.5 acre land in Colombo and took close to a year to build a Bombay which looked straight out of 1960’s.
9. Baahubali- This magnum opus has broken records all across the globe and enjoys a stellar fan following. The insane set at Ramoji city is flocked by tourists all year long with an entry ticket for around 1250 bucks. Worth it I guess!
One can feel poor just by looking at them!