23-05-2025
India's most expensive film was based on Sridevi's mother, had Aishwarya Rai in lead role, earned Rs..., lead actor was.
Expensive and high-budget movies weren't common in the heyday of cinema. Filmmakers used restricted technology, a cheap budget, and a conventional narrative to play it safe. A small number of filmmakers, meanwhile, were bold enough to push the envelope in terms of both money and creativity. One such filmmaker ventured to stake all of his money on a picture with an enormous budget of Rs. 20 crore, which only fluctuated between lakhs and a few crores. The film's plot, which was based on a true tragedy involving the mother of India's most popular star, Sridevi, was fascinating despite its enormous budget.
The movie we're talking about is none other than Jeans. Released in 1981 and directed by S. Shankar. The film also had a powerful cast with Aishwarya Rai in the lead, who was playing the role of Madhumitha, opposite actor Prashanth. Based on the plot of an unfortunate event inspired by the incident from Sridevi's mother's personal life, where she underwent surgery on the wrong part of her brain. The storyline is a blend of emotional depth, storytelling, and romance.
The film centres around the romantic angle between Madhumitha and Vishwanathan, where their love goes through many ups and downs, like Vishwanathan's disapproving father and unexpected twists.
Besides Aishwarya and Prashanth, the film has a star-studded cast that includes Nasser, Lakshmi, and Senthil. The film also won awards for Best Music Director – Tamil (Rahman), and the National Film Award for Best Special Effects. The movie also marked India's official submission for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
With the large-scale production, international locations, great visuals, and A.R. Rahman's soulful music, the film was way ahead of its time.
Jeans became a blockbuster and was widely praised by both audiences and critics. It won four Tamil Nadu State Film Awards, a Filmfare Award for Best Music Director (Tamil), and the National Film Award for Best Special Effects. Most notably, the film was chosen as India's official submission to the Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film in 1998.
