Most Expensive Bollywood Movie Sets Ever Built

Bollywood has always been synonymous with “larger than life.” While Hollywood often relies on the cold perfection of CGI, the Indian film industry has a long-standing love affair with the tangible—hand-painted backdrops, intricate carvings, and massive physical structures that you can touch and feel.

From the legendary glass palaces of the 1960s to the modern-day recreations of entire holy cities, the evolution of Bollywood set design is a story of ambition, ego, and artistic brilliance. In this article, we explore the most expensive and grandest movie sets ever built in Indian cinema history.

1. SSMB29 (Varanasi in Hyderabad) – ₹50 Crore

As of 2026, the record for the single most expensive film set in Indian history belongs to S.S. Rajamouli’s upcoming jungle adventure starring Mahesh Babu. To avoid the logistical nightmare of filming in the crowded lanes of the ancient city of Kashi, the production team recreated the entire Varanasi Ghats in Hyderabad.

The set reportedly cost a staggering ₹50 crore. It features hyper-realistic temples, bustling riverfronts, and intricate stone carvings, proving that even in the age of high-end VFX, Rajamouli prefers the authenticity of a physical environment for his actors.

2. Mughal-e-Azam (The Sheesh Mahal) – ₹15 Lakh (1960)

To understand the scale of Bollywood’s ambition, we must look back. In 1960, K. Asif spent ₹15 lakh on a single set: the Sheesh Mahal (Palace of Mirrors). While ₹15 lakh sounds small today, when adjusted for inflation in 2026, it equates to over ₹100 crore.

• The Material: It was built using thousands of pieces of colored Belgian glass.
• The Lighting: The set was so bright that the cameras of the 60s struggled to capture it; the crew had to use wax strips to dull the mirrors’ reflections.
• The Legacy: It remains the gold standard for cinematic opulence.

3. Bombay Velvet (1960s Bombay in Sri Lanka) – ₹25 Crore

Anurag Kashyap’s jazz-era crime drama might not have been a box office hit, but its production design was a masterpiece. The team built a 9.5-acre replica of 1960s Bombay in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Every detail, from the vintage tram lines to the Art Deco buildings of South Mumbai, was meticulously crafted. The set took 11 months to build and cost nearly ₹25 crore. It was so massive that it was later turned into a tourist attraction in Sri Lanka.

4. Devdas (Chandramukhi’s Kotha) – ₹12 Crore (2002)

Sanjay Leela Bhansali is the undisputed king of sets. In 2002, he spent ₹20 crore on the total sets of Devdas, with Chandramukhi’s Kotha alone costing ₹12 crore.

The set was built around a man-made lake that stayed filled for months. It featured 120,000 pieces of stained glass and required massive amounts of power to light up the intricate interiors. Legend has it that the set was so beautiful that even the local birds started nesting inside the artificial chandeliers.

5. Baahubali: The Beginning (Mahishmati Kingdom) – ₹60 Crore (Total)

While the Varanasi set for SSMB29 holds the record for a single set piece, the Kingdom of Mahishmati in Baahubali was a sprawling city. Spread over 100 acres at Ramoji Film City, the production designers used a mix of stone, plaster, and fiberglass to create the towering statues and fortresses.

The set was so iconic that it wasn’t demolished after filming; it was preserved as a museum, generating crores in tourism revenue for the studio—a rare case of a movie set becoming a self-sustaining business.

A Comparison of Historical Set Costs (Inflation Adjusted)

Why Do Filmmakers Spend So Much on Physical Sets?

In an era where Kalki 2898 AD and Brahmastra use green screens for 90% of their shots, why do directors like Bhansali and Rajamouli still spend crores on wood and plaster?

1. Actor Performance: Actors perform better when they can interact with their environment rather than a green wall.
2. Light Dynamics: Real sets allow for natural light and shadows that are incredibly expensive and difficult to replicate perfectly in CGI.
3. The “Grandeur” Factor: Indian audiences love the “big screen” feel. There is a texture and depth to a real set that digital backgrounds often lack.

The Future: Ramayana (2026)

As we look toward the end of 2026, Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana is rumored to be pushing the boundaries even further. With a part-one budget of ₹900 crore, a significant portion is being allocated to “Hybrid Sets”—physical structures that seamlessly blend with digital extensions to create a mythical Ayodhya that feels real.

Summary

The journey from the hand-painted sets of the 1940s to the ₹50-crore cities of today shows that Bollywood’s heart still beats for grand spectacles. Whether it’s the mirrors of Mughal-e-Azam or the ghats of SSMB29, these sets are more than just backgrounds—they are characters in themselves.