2024 was a bittersweet year for Indian cinema with a series of mix and flops at the box office. Undoubtedly Pushpa 2: The Rule Kalki 2898 AD and Stree 2 were the biggest box office hits of the year. However when it comes to the most profitable Indian film the title goes to Rs 3 crore movie featuring no big stars. The Malayalam romantic drama Premalu has emerged as the most profitable Indian film of 2024. Made on a modest budget of Rs 3 crore the film initially had a slow start but gained momentum through positive word-of-mouth. Ultimately it grossed an impressive Rs 136 crore becoming one of the top grossing Malayalam films of the year. The film earned 45 times its budget which becomes the highest for any Indian film this year raking among the greatest profits in Indian cinema history. Directed by Girish AD Premalu is a new-age romantic drama featuring Naslen K Gafoor and Mamitha Baiju in lead roles. The film also stars Sangeeth Prathap Akhila Bhargavan Shyam Mohan Meenakshi Raveendran Mathew Thomas and Althaf Salim in supporting roles. With a remarkable profit Premalu stands as one of the greatest success stories in Indian cinema history. Only Secret Superstar and Jai Santoshi Maa achieved higher box office returns relative to their budget. Larger films can never match this figure. For instance Pushpa 2 the highest grossing film of 2024 earned Rs 1800 crore which is five times its budget Kalki 2898 AD saw a profit that was just twice its Rs 600 crore budget while Stree 2 grossed Rs 875 crore around 10 times its 90 crore budget while Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 which grossed Rs 150 crore earned twice its budget.