Salman Khan, meanwhile, has topped the charts, both in terms of revenues and fame – a first for a Forbes India celebrity list topper. Clearly, though controversy and court cases continue to dog the actor, his clout has only grown with his box office hits, TV appearances and his charitable trust Being Human.
The No 2 slot is occupied by Bollywood’s most enduring star Amitabh Bachchan, who has moved up three places this year. His celebritydom was only enhanced by his nearly 12 million Twitter following, the largest for anybody on that platform in India.
During the period of one year from October 2013 to September 2014, Salman earned Rs 244.50 crore, Bachchan made Rs 196.75 crore and Shah Rukh pocketed Rs 202.40 crore.
Despite a quiet year, Shah Rukh Khan’s firm hold in the top of the list can be attributed to his undiminished brand value that has earned him approximately Rs 202 crore (the highest through endorsements). With 22 such deals in hand, he has endorsed the highest number of brands this year. On the fame count, however, he could only garner a No.7 costing him the top slot.
The top 5 in the 2014 Forbes India Celebrity 100 dominates the earnings sweepstakes, accounting for as much as 35 percent of the total revenues of the Top 100. However, like last year, the top 10 continues to have only one woman—this time, Deepika Padukone replaces Katrina Kaif.
Fame, in fact, proved to be a surprise factor this year. Take actor Preity Zinta, for instance, who makes an entry at No. 14 on the back of her fame count which far outweighs her earnings. Her film career, however, had no role to play in this. It was her spat with Ness Wadia, the co-owner of IPL’s King’s XI Punjab, and the strong performance of the team that attracted strong media coverage.
Other notable newcomers to the list are singer Arijit Singh, cricketer Ajinkya Rahane and actors old and new, from Bollywood and the South: Arjun Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Rajinikanth and his son-in-law Dhanush are among the 20 debutantes. Ten others—including Sunny Leone, MC Mary Kom, Kangna Ranaut and Imtiaz Ali—are returnees to the list.
V comedian Kapil Sharma has made the biggest climb this year: He’s up 60 places to 33 as his show Comedy Nights with Kapil continues to enthrall audiences. Singers Yo Yo Honey Singh and Mika Singh too have made significant progress to Nos. 16 and 40, from their earlier slots of 59 and 74, respectively.
The major absentees from the list include music director Pritam; he was ranked 29 last year. The others who couldn’t retain their places include Emraan Hashmi (43 last year), Amit Trivedi (64), Sajid Khan (76) and Jeev Milkha Singh (87): In all, there are 30 dropouts.
The celebrity list reflects the enhancement of woman power in the Indian entertainment industry led, of course, by Bollywood. There are now 28 women compared to 21 last year. Of these, five are returnees and five debutants. Women celebrities also outdid the men on air-time bought for TV commercials. The first three slots among endorsers are occupied by Kareena Kapoor Khan, Deepika Padukone and Katrina Kaif.
Celebrities in India seem to have embraced social media as the quickest and, often, most effective marketing tool. For free. Some actors have used it to release their new movie’s first look and ensured a committed audience before its release. Others, like comedian Papa CJ, bring in packed houses for their shows by communicating the time and date for their next performance.
But few use social media as well as Amitabh Bachchan. With 11.8 million followers on Twitter and counting, the window with his fans is always open and responsive. Just another pointer to his unfailing (and amazingly, growing) popularity—a lesson the younger guns would do well to learn.
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