25 P Then, Rs 250 Now: Slide to See How India Changed Since 1947

In 1947, a movie ticket cost 25 paise; it’s usually Rs 250 now. What else has changed in India since then? Read on.

In the past 70 years, India has changed and how! (Photo: Aaqib Raza Khan/The Quint)

Seventy years since India became independent, there are million of ways in which it has transformed.

From a film ticket for 25 paise in 1947, which still managed to push a relatively new Dilip Kumar’s movie collection to 50 lakh rupees then, we’ve come a long way. We are happy to pay Rs 250 for a Salman Khan film which takes less than a month to join the coveted 300 crore club.

Here’s the story of how India has changed through the years.

Value of Rupee v/s Dollar

Famously, and allegedly erroneously, a lot of ‘facts’ maintain that the Indian Rupee equalled an American dollar at the time of Indian independence. But there’s more to the story. Till 1966, Indian rupee was pegged to the British Pound. After 1966, it was pegged to the US Dollar, with a devaluation. A Pound was equal to 13.33 Indian Rupees, and its exchange rate in US Dollars was $4.03. Effectively, the Dollar–Rupee exchange rate would be somewhere around Rs 4.

A Movie Ticket, Then and Now

Box Office Collections

Old Was Gold, Indeed

How India Took to the Skies

Four Wheels of Change

Time, and Turning Pages

On the Right Track

For a Lux-urious Bath

India, as a developing nation, is forever in flux; a functional example of how change remains the only constant.

What changes have you seen? Join the conversation in the comments below with #IAmIndia.