The most expensive TV show ever made in India dwarfs the budgets of even Baahubal, RRR, Adipurush, and Kalki 2898 AD
Television started as a small medium in India. The first Indian shows – Hum Log and Buniyaad – were sweeping dramas but had production values much lower than the films of that era. Even Ramayan and Mahabharat, shows that pushed the boundaries in Indian television, were not mega budget. But with the turn of the century, the budgets and scales of Indian television shows blossomed. As of today, the biggest and most expensive Indian show has a higher budget than any Indian film ever made.
The most expensive Indian TV show is…
In 2019, Siddharth Kumar Tewary conceptualised a mythological show based on Ramayana titled Ram Siya Ke Luv Kush. The show was certainly the biggest undertaking in Indian television at the time. According to reports, each episode of the show cost more than Rs 4 crore to make. Mid-Day reported that the total production cost of the show was a whopping Rs 650 crore, higher than any Indian show or film before or since. Due to its scale, it was often compared to SS Rajamouli’s Baahubali series.
How Ram Siya Ke Luv Kush beat mega films like RRR, Adipurush
At the time of the show’s release in August 2019, the most expensive Indian film was Saaho, with a reported budget of Rs 350 crore. Ram Siya Ke Luv Kush almost doubled that. Even RRR (Rs 500 crore) and Brahmastra (Rs 400 crore) could not come close. Funnily enough, in 2023, a film based on Ramayana – Adipurush – became India’s most expensive film. It had a budget of Rs 550 crore though, still below Ram Siya Ke Luv Kush. Prabhas’ upcoming film – Kalki 2898 AD – is set to take the mantle from Adipurush with a budget of Rs 600 crore but Ram Siya Ke Luv Kush’s mark will remain untouched.
All about Ram Siya Ke Luv Kush
Ram Siya Ke Luv Kush was based on Uttar Ramayana, the episode involving Lord Rama and Sita’s sons Luv and Kush. The show starred Himanshu Soni as Lord Rama and Shivya Pathania as Sita, along with Krish Chauhan and Harshit Kabra as Luv and Kush respectively. The show aired for 141 episodes from August 2019 to its conclusion in February 2020.
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