The Forbes Highest Paid actors list has just been released, and it proves that when it comes to earnings,Bollywood actors are some of the most handsomely paid professionals in the world. So who grabs the coveted top spot this year? Corporate Citizen brings you the results
Bollywood titan King Khan banked$38 million this year, grabbing the top spot on Forbes’ inaugural tally of Bollywood's Highest-Paid Actors.The bulk of his earnings come from starring roles in movies such as Raees and Jab Hary Met Sejal, for which he earned upfront fees and a cut of profit.He also pockets millions from lucrative endorsement deals and profitable productions helmed by his Red Chillies Entertainment.
Salman Khan comes at No 2 with $37 million in earnings. SalmanKhan, who usually tops the list in recent years, came down a peg due to the failure of his latest film Tube light. However, a slew of endorsements as well high profile upcoming movies like Tiger Zinda Hai will ensure that Salman is in contention for the top spot next year.
While SRK and Salman release one or two films a year,no one can beat the sheer volume of films that AkshayKumar stars in this year, not to mention their impeccable record at the box office. Akshay earns a paycheck of$35.5 million, thanks to a busy schedule that saw him appear in five movies in the scoring period, such as Jolly LLB 2, Toilet: Ek Prem Katha,Naam Shabana and Dishoom.
Aamir Khan, with the exception of Dangal, has been exceptionally lowkey this year, with hardly any endorsements to his credit. His payday is comprised almost entirely of his cut of profits from the wrestling drama, which has become the highest grossing film in India with earnings nearing 400 crore. However, what comes outside the scoring period is the unprecedented Rs. 1100 crore that Dangal earned in China, and the huge opening it has seen recently in Hong Kong. With Dangal having raked nearly Rs. 2000 crore and counting, out of which Aamir as a producer will receive a sizable cut, we may just see him topping the list next year.
Deepika Padukone earned $11 million this year, thanks to an international role in XXX: the return of Xander Cage, as well as endorsing over a dozen products in the Indian market. Deepika is the top grossing female actor in Bollywood, and is in top demand with big budget projects like Padmavati to her name. In fact, she has earned even more than Priyanka Chopra ($10million), who earned almost all of that money in Hollywood this year.
By Neeraj Varty
