Biggest Stars in Bollywood – Top 5

It’s been a while since we published a list of the Top 5 ‘most bankable’ stars in the industry and not much has changed since. Khan’s are still the biggest crowd-pullers in India, but Salman who wasn’t in the Top 5 during the pre-Dabangg days has leap-frogged straight to the top of the list.

Here it is – Top 5 Biggest Stars in India (Hindi film industry only).

1. Salman Khan – In India, Salman is way ahead of the competition and unless something goes horribly wrong with his two upcoming films, he’s likely to stay-put right at the top. It all started with Dabangg beating the opening record of 3 Idiots, at a time when Aamir Khan was considered to be miles ahead of the rest. Since then, Salman has delivered two blockbusters – Ready and Bodyguard. Going by the hype that Ek Tha Tiger has generated and the sequel to Dabangg scheduled to release during Christmas, we wouldn’t be surprised if Salman has two more ‘blockbusters’ to his credit by the end of 2012.

2. Aamir Khan – The trust that his audience have in him, is what sets this Khan apart from the rest. Brand Aamir guarantees quality and it simply does not matter if it’s his films, brand endorsements or television shows. Over the years, Aamir has worked hard to build that trust and has managed to sustain it for a prolonged period of time. His only failed effort in the last decade was Mangal Pandey in 2005 and even that film smashed opening records and eventually recovered it’s investment. Ghajini was the first film to cross 100 crores and 3 Idiots is the only film to collect 200 crores (a whopping 60 crores more than the second best!)

3. Shahrukh Khan – It’s hard to believe that someone who was a rank outsider in the industry, has achieved it all and more. It’s been exactly 20 years since Shahrukh Khan made his debut and the craze that he still commands is unmatched. At the box-office, SRK has been very consistent with almost every film opening to a good initial. Ra One was slammed by the critics, yet managed to collect 125 crores in India!

4. Hrithik Roshan – Guzaarish was one of the few films that didn’t open too well at the box-office. Otherwise, Hrithik has been very consistent over the years as far as the opening of his films is concerned. His last release, Agneepath now holds the record for the highest opening day collections in history.

5. Akshay Kumar – After several failures in 2010 and 2011, Akshay is back in the Top 5, as both his 2012 releases Housefull 2 and Rowdy Rathore are two of the biggest grossers of the year. He could be a serious contender dislodge one of the Top 3, if his upcoming films Joker and Khiladi 786 do well.

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Actor / Movie	Opening day	Lifetime
1. Salman Khan
Ready	13.33 crores	121.26 crores
Bodyguard	20.66 crores	140.95 crores
2. Aamir Khan
Ghajini	9.13 crores	114.78 crores
3 Idiots	13 crores	202.57 crores
3. Shahrukh Khan
Ra One	14.76 crores	125.23 crores*
Don 2	14.61 crores	113.42 crores*
4. Hrithik Roshan
Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara	7.52 crores	89.85 crore
Agneepath	21.76 crores	120.06 crore
5. Akshay Kumar
Housefull 2	13.25 crores	113.21 crores
Rowdy Rathore	15.05 crores	129 crores**

* Including dubbed version
** Still running in theaters. Collections will be updated.

Why is Hrithik ahead of Akshay?

– Even though Akshay’s last two films have been huge grossers, there are three reasons why Hrithik is ranked higher. One, Agneepath now holds the record for the biggest opening day in history. Two, Hrithik’s last two films were both with new directors – Karan Malhotra was on debut and Zoya Akhtar first film ‘Luck By Chance’ didn’t work at the box-office. Three, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara wasn’t a ‘safe’ commercial film. Whereas, both Housefull and Rowdy Rathore were directed by established directors, and the later was a remake of a super-successful Telugu blockbuster. But like we mentioned above, if Joker and Khiladi work, he’ll probably make it to the Top 3.

Why is Shahrukh Khan at No 3, even though none of his films have failed?

– First of all, it’s important to note that this is an India only list. And while SRK has remained consistent, the two other Khan’s have delivered bigger grossers.

Any other questions please ask in the comments section below. Please be sensible, silly or abusive comments will be removed.

Stay tuned, the ‘Biggest Stars overseas and worldwide’ is coming up.