Shah Rukh Khan tops Forbes India Celebrity 100 List

Shah Rukh Khan has topped the inaugural Forbes India Celebrity 100 list, a ranking of India’s biggest entertainers based on their income and popularity. Salman Khan and MS Dhoni closely followed SRK in the ranking.  

Forbes India’s special edition decodes what lies behind the success of India’s biggest creative entrepreneurs across eight categories: Film actors, directors, sport stars, TV personalities, singers/musicians, authors, models and comedians.   

Both Salman Khan and Dhoni are ahead of SRK in terms of popularity and fame, but King Khan came out tops courtesy his earning power, mainly riding on massive income from brand endorsements.  

By Forbes India estimates, SRK earned Rs 202.8 crore, compared to Salman’s Rs 144.2 crore and Dhoni’s Rs 135.16 crore in the period between October 2011 and September 2012.   

Akshay Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan, Sachin Tendulkar, Kareena Kapoor, Virender Sehwag, Virat Kohli and Katrina Kaif are the others in the top 10.  

The list is an attempt to rank the most powerful people at the core of the country’s burgeoning media and entertainment sector. It was arrived at after a rigorous data collection process that considered celebrities’ income (from the business of entertainment) and fame (as measured by media mentions, online presence and social media followers) in a definite time period (October 1, 2011 to September 30, 2012). 

MS Dhoni, captain of the Indian national cricket team, is the top sportsperson. AR Rahman leads the pack of singer/musicians and is the only representative of the category in the top 20. Malaika Arora Khan is the leading TV personality while Karan Johar is the most powerful director. Author Chetan Bhagat, comedian Vir Das and model Esha Gupta topped their respective categories.

A majority of celebrities who made it to the list fall in the age bracket of 30 to 50. However, 12 youngsters, including Saina Nehwal, Virat Kohli, Anusukha Sharma and Sania Mirza have broken into the top 50. At age 23, Saina Nehwal is the youngest celebrity on the list.

Image: Getty Images
Youngest in the Forbes India Celebrity List

The Forbes India Celebrity 100 special edition has features, essays, interviews and interesting data on the various facets of India’s most powerful entertainment icons. It contains extensive and insightful reports on the lives, thought processes and businesses of some these stars. The cover story brings to you the business vision and entrepreneurial side of the Badshah of Bollywood—something that you won’t read about often.  

The edition hits stands on January 26. Go grab your copy!