Analysis and ranking by Joginder Tuteja (tweets @tutejajoginder)

Starting this month, we would be beginning this EXCLUSIVE feature that would list Top-5 Male Superstars.

• This would be based on the approximate box office outcome (Nett collections) of their last five movies
• Only lead roles would be considered. Cameos, special appearances and guest appearances won’t be taken under consideration
• Dated movies won’t be taken under consideration
• Only domestic box office performance is being taken into account

Top Actors in Bollywood

Salman Khan is ‘consistency personified’. Not just is he scoring consistently, he has been scoring big as well. Each of his last five films has crossed the 100 crore mark which is a testimony to the kind of popularity he is enjoying in third phase of his career. Even though he won’t be seeing any release this year, he would still reign from the top on the basis of his recent record which is envious to say the least.

It is surprising to see Shahrukh Khan being even challenged for his stardom when the fact remains that he hasn’t delivered a flop for ages. Yes, he hasn’t delivered the biggest grosser of the year for quite some time now which has shaken him up at the top. However as a superstar who enjoys a steady fan base and delivers consistently, Shahrukh has scored with each of his last five films being a big enough box office grosser.

The new entrant in the block, Ranbir Kapoor has suddenly made heads turn with record collections that his ‘Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani’ has managed to manage. This isn’t a one off case though. He showed what he is capable of when his ‘Barfi!’ turned out to be the first ever offbeat Bollywood flick to enter the 100 crore club. The story started with ‘Raanjeeti’ though and he hasn’t seen a flop for five films in a row now.

When his offbeat ‘Taare Zameen Par’ turned out to be a biggie, he was hailed as a man with the Midas touch. His ‘Ghajini’ was the founding member of the 100 crore club. His ‘3 Idiots’ created a record that hasn’t been broken till date. However his offbeat ‘Dhobi Ghat’ just about scraped through. Even though ‘Talaash’ didn’t hit the roof, it came close to being a 100 crore affair. His ‘Dhoom 3’ should clear all the deficit now.

Akshay Kumar plays in volumes which means there is always a risk factor involved when it comes to count of wins and losing affair. However in terms of the overall business that his films generate, he carries an edge. That’s the way he has built his career over 20 years and if one looks at half a dozen films of his that are supposed to release between now and 2014 end, it isn’t going to change.

The ones who can break into Top 5 in months to come:

Hrithik Roshan – (Agneepath (120 cr), Zindagi Naa Milegi Dobara (90 cr), Guzaarish (30 cr), Kites (49 cr), Jodhaa Akbar (63 cr) [Forthcoming film: Krrish 3]

Total: 352 cr (Average per film: 70.4 cr)

John Abraham – (Shootout at Wadala (62 cr), I, Me aur Main (9 cr), Race 2 (102 cr), Housefull 2 (114 cr), Desi Boyz (45 cr) [Forthcoming film: Madras Café]

Total: 332 cr (Average per film: 66.4 cr)

Ajay Devgn – (Himmatwala (45 cr), Son of Sardaar (102 cr), Bol Bachchan (101 cr), Tezz (17 cr), Rascals (35 cr)) [Forthcoming film: Satyagraha]

Total: 300 cr (Average per film: 60 cr)

Saif Ali Khan – (Race 2 (102 cr), Cocktail (76 cr), Agent Vinod (45 cr), Aarakshan (42 cr), Kurbaan (24 cr)) [Forthcoming film: Bullett Raja]

Total: 289 cr (Average per film: 57.8 cr)

Disclaimer: There can be many other scientific, non-scientific, objective and subjective measures chosen. We wanted to keep it simple though! To avoid confusion and unnecessary arguments, all figures above are from the producers/distributors.

Post your own thoughts / analysis in the comments section below. Irrelevant or senseless comments will be deleted.