How a 16 Year Old Outperformed Top Actresses to Produce Indian Highest Grossing Female-led Film

For decades, Indian cinema has been primarily dominated by men. Few female stars have outperformed their male counterparts at the box office, leading films to earn above ₹100 crores. Alia Bhatt and Kangana Ranaut have several entries into the club. However, when global earnings are taken into consideration, one film outperforms all of these stars' hits, staring a 16-year-old female actress.

Highest-grossing Female-led Movie in India

Advait Chandan's Secret Superstar was a coming-of-age film about a young singer who must deal with an overbearing father. Zaira Wasim played the lead in the film for the first time, and it was only her second feature (after Dangal). Secret Superstar, with a budget of ₹15 crore and a brief appearance by producer Aamir Khan, grossed ₹90 crore in India, earning ₹64 crore net.

But after it was released in China, it became one of the most popular Indian films. In China, Secret Superstar made $124 million, or ₹750 crore. The movie made ₹905 crore worldwide, the most of any woman-led Indian film, when its ₹65 crore profits from Hong Kong and other international territories are added.

Secret Superstar has made twice as much money as any other Indian film directed by a woman. Significantly, Adah Sharma's The Kerala Story, which made ₹304 crore globally, comes in at number two. 

Zaira Wasim's Career Ended Abruptly

Zaira Wasim's first two films, Dangal and Secret Superstar, grossed approximately ₹3000 crore. She was barely 16 when the second film was released. She earned a National Film Award for the first and a Filmfare Award for the second.

However, Zaira only made one more picture and declared her retirement before it was released. Zaira stopped cinema at the age of 18 because she considered it to be incompatible with her faith. Her final release, The Sky Is Pink, was released later that year. However, the actor did not participate in the promotions. Zaira presently lives a calm life away from showbusiness.