Director Mehboob Khan
· Cast Nargis, Sunil Dutt, Rajendra Kumar
· Released 25 Oct 1957
India Nett
₹1.1 Cr
After GST
Overseas
₹₹0.3 Cr
International gross
Budget
₹0.4 Cr
Production cost
Boxoffy VerdictAll-Time Blockbuster
Mother India is classified as an All-Time Blockbuster — Boxoffy's highest verdict, reserved for films that permanently altered the commercial landscape of Indian cinema. With ₹1.1 Cr India nett against a reported budget of ₹0.4 Cr, representing a 275% return on production cost, it belongs to a small elite of films that transcend their release year and enter the cultural record. An All-Time Blockbuster does not just recoup costs — it redefines what a successful film can be.
Boxoffy Read
Mother India is the film India submitted to the Oscars and it nearly won — losing Best Foreign Film by a single vote, one of the closest margins in Academy history. Nargis's Radha is not just a character but a civilisational argument: that suffering is ennobling, that the land is sacred, that a mother's love for her son can coexist with her duty to execute him. No Hindi film before or since has carried that weight with such moral seriousness.
Financial AnalysisBox Office vs Budget
Mother India was reportedly made on a budget of ₹0.4 Cr. Against that investment, the film collected ₹1.1 Cr India nett — a 2.8x multiple on production cost and a 275% return on the reported budget.
Break-even at the Indian box office typically requires approximately 1.5x the production budget once prints, advertising and distribution costs are factored in — placing the break-even threshold for Mother India at roughly ₹1 Cr India nett. The film cleared this threshold, resulting in the All-Time Blockbuster verdict.
Mother India is classified as a All-Time Blockbuster by Boxoffy. The film collected ₹1.1 Cr India nett against a reported budget of ₹0.4 Cr. The film was commercially profitable.
Mother India collected ₹1.1 Cr India nett at the box office. The India nett figure represents collections after GST extraction, as reported by Box Office India and cross-referenced with Sacnilk and Pinkvilla.
Mother India released in 1957 and is likely available on major Indian streaming platforms. Check Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, JioHotstar, ZEE5 and SonyLIV for current availability, as OTT rights shift periodically.
Mother India was directed by Mehboob Khan. The 1957 Hindi film earned a All-Time Blockbuster verdict at the Indian box office, collecting ₹1.1 Cr India nett.