The historical epic Razia sultan was one of the most anticipated films in years and the most costly indian film ever made when it was released in 1983. Unfortunately, it did not fare well at the box office and brought down bollywood as a whole, ruining director Kamal Amrohi to the extent that he never again created a movie.
 
1. Whose story was Razia Sultan?
Hema Malini portrayed the title role in Razia sultan, a biographical film about the 13th-century monarch of Delhi, with dharmendra, parveen babi, Vijayendra Ghatge, Ajit, and Sohrab Modi providing support.
 
2. The Most Expensive Film in India
director Kamal Amrohi's first film after Pakeezah, Razia sultan, took a full three years to complete and had an unprecedented budget of Rs 10 crore, the largest for an indian film at the time.
 
3. Bollywood's Biggest Flop
Razia sultan, however, underperformed at the movie office, barely making Rs 2 crore globally, including a few lakhs abroad, in stark contrast to predictions. More than 80% of its landing cost was wasted.

4. How Razia sultan put all of bollywood in debt

For Razia sultan, Kamal Amrohi had taken on a great deal of debt. Numerous financiers, distributors, and other investors suffered significant losses when it crashed. Due to the film's scope, a sizable chunk of the film industry suffered. At the time, a trade journal published an article asserting that the film industry was in debt as a result of the movie's box office failure.
 
5. Controversy around Dharmendra’s blackface

In the movie, dharmendra portrayed Yakut, Razia's boyfriend, as an African slave by having his face painted black. Foreign critics attacked the movie because of the blackface.
 
6. Razia’s sultan controversial lesbian love scene with hema Malini, Parveen Babi

The movie was also infamous for having a touch of same-sex romance, which was a little ahead of its time. Many family audiences avoided the song featuring parveen babi and hema Malini.