While we know that actors such as Shahrukh Khan and Amitabh Bachchan often make it to Forbes’ Top 10 lists – most influential, highest paid actor, richest people – we’ve rarely seen women in those ranks, let alone an Indian celebrity. Until now that is.
Deepika Padukone has broken that rut by becoming the first Bollywood actress to make it onto Forbes’ Top 5 Indian Celebrities List, which takes into account how much these have celebrities earned.
The magazine recently released its India Celebrity 100 list. Superstar Salman Khan stole the show again with a hat-trick, by topping the ranks for the third consecutive time.
Au contraire, the other King Khan, Shah Rukh Khan more than fell from his throne, In fact, he didn’t even make it among the top 10 ranks!
The List
Salman Khan
The 52 year old Khan Salman cemented his claim to the throne with his successful movies Ek Tha Tiger and Race 3, as well as a raft of endorsements from several consumer brands.
These endorsements account for a whopping 8% of his earnings, with total earnings at Rs 2.5325 billion.
Virat Kohli
Second in line is Virat Kohli. Even though he’s not an actor, he’s a celebrity in his own right alright. The cricketing prodigy and Indian team captain Virat Kohli made a total of Rs 2.3 billion, around 116.5% more than last year.
Akshay Kumar
Actor Akshay Kumar landed third place with Rs 1.85 billion. The actor is known for not turning down roles and giving every character a chance with a whole spectrum of performances to support his career.
Deepika Padukone
Coming in on the fourth spot, is none other than Deepika Padukone. With numerous brand endorsements and the commercial success of Padmavaat, Deepika earned a total of Rs 1.1 billion, placing her firmly at rank four. The actress also gained international recognition with Triple X: Return of Xander Cage.
Mahendra Dhoni
The fifth Indian celebrity on this list happens to be another cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni. The former Indian captain earned a total of Rs 1.01 billion this year. These earnings are largely from endorsements as MS Dhoni has retired from cricket.
