Amitabh Bachchan’s cult film ‘Suryavansham’ has become India’s most-watched movie, dethroning classics like ‘Sholay’ and ‘Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge’. While ‘Sholay’ sold over 200 million tickets in India and millions more abroad, the rise of cable TV and streaming has changed how we measure a film’s success. ‘Suryavansham’, released in 1999, initially flopped at the box office, earning only 126.5 million rupees worldwide. However, its satellite premiere on Sony Max marked the beginning of its journey to becoming a viewing phenomenon.
A Cult Following Emerges
Over 25 years, ‘Suryavansham’ has been re-run countless times on Sony Max. By the end of 2017, BARC data showed the film had garnered 4.4 million impressions. Experts estimate that TV viewership could be between 2.5 to 3 billion or more. The film is also available on Amazon Prime Video, adding a few million more minutes to its total viewership.
YouTube: The Game-Changer
The bulk of ‘Suryavansham’s record-breaking views come from YouTube. Goldmines Entertainment, which owns the YouTube rights, uploaded the film to three different channels, amassing a staggering 701 million views. This brings the total estimated views across all platforms to over 10 billion.
Some might find it surprising that a film initially considered a flop has achieved such massive viewership. For comparison, ‘Sholay’ has only 2 million YouTube views, while ‘Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge’ has less than 1 million. Even ‘Baahubali: The Beginning’ trails behind with 20 million views. ‘Suryavansham’s success story is a testament to the power of re-runs and streaming.
Where to Watch ‘Suryavansham’
You can still watch ‘Suryavansham’ for free on YouTube or on Amazon Prime Video. The 1999 film, a remake of the 1997 Tamil movie ‘Suya Vamsam’, was made with a budget of 70 million rupees. It tells the story of a father and his obedient but uneducated son. Despite its initial failure, ‘Suryavansham’ has become a cultural phenomenon.