Talaash (1969) was Bollywood’s first official ₹1 crore budget film
In today’s Bollywood, crores are spent on every film. But there was a time when Hindi cinema worked with budgets in lakhs. The shift came in 1969, when India first 1 crore budget film was made a project whose producer proudly declared its cost on the posters, creating history in Hindi cinema.
That film was Talaash (1969), starring Rajendra Kumar and Sharmila Tagore. The story had Sharmila in a double role, one a city girl with light-coloured eyes and the other a simple village girl. At the centre was Rajendra Kumar, who was so popular in the 1960s that he was known as “Jubilee Kumar” for delivering a string of box office hits. His filmography at the time included celebrated titles like Mother India (1957), Kanoon (1960), Mere Mehboob (1963), Zindagi (1964), Suraj (1966), Saathi (1968) and Dharti (1970) and among these successful ventures was also Talaash (1969), remembered today as India first 1 crore budget film, a project that marked a historic moment in Bollywood.
Apart from them, the film also featured Balraj Sahni, Jeevan, and Helen. The director, producer, and story writer of Talaash was O. P. Ralhan, who was also known for his stylish filmmaking. The music was composed by S. D. Burman, lyrics were penned by Majrooh Sultanpuri, and the songs were sung by legends like Mohammed Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar. Among the songs on the soundtrack, the romantic duet “Palkon Ke Peeche Se” became especially popular with audiences.
Many films in the past may have quietly touched the crore mark due to hidden or unaccounted spending, but no one declared it publicly. O. P. Ralhan changed that. When the budget of Talaash went above ₹1 crore, he boldly highlighted it on the film’s posters. This was a first in Indian cinema, an official, open declaration that a Hindi film had been made on a ₹1 crore budget.
Ralhan’s move was not only a production milestone but also a marketing masterstroke. The announcement created headlines, giving Talaash a unique identity in Bollywood history.
Despite the hype and historic budget, Talash (1969) performed only average at the box office. Even with the big names and heavy promotions, the film could not live up to its cost in terms of collections. Still, the film’s legacy remains intact. Talaash holds the honour of being the first officially declared ₹ one crore budget film in Bollywood history, marking a new era where Hindi cinema began its journey from lakhs to crores.
