Salman Khan tops the Forbes India Celebrity 100 list for 2014

The 2014 Forbes India Celebrity 100 in its third year has found a new leader. For the first time in its three-year run, Shah Rukh Khan has been unseated from the top slot by friend and peer Salman Khan. Reason: The star didn’t have a film release (barring a cameo) in the period considered for this list (October 1, 2013 to September 30, 2014). Consequently, he finds himself at No 3.

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 continued to grow 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.

Salman Khan tops the Forbes India Celebrity 100 list for 2014
Though ranked third, Brand Shah Rukh Khan stays undiminished while Amitabh Bachchan moves up three places to second spot #forbes india celebrity 100 #salman khan #shah rukh khan #amitabh bachchan

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 per cent 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.

Preity Zinta makes a surprise entry in the celebrity list at No 14 on the back of her fame count which far outweighs her relatively insignificant 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 ensured 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.

TV comedian Kapil Sharma has made the biggest climb this year: He is 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 composition of the list has also seen a slight change in gender balance. There are now 28 women compared to 21 last year. Of these, five are returnees while five debut on the list. Women celebrities also outdid the men on air-time bought for TV commercials. The first three slots in the top 10 endorsers on TV are occupied by actors Kareena Kapoor Khan, Deepika Padukone and Katrina Kaif.

The 2014 Forbes India Celebrity 100 issue this year is a five-cover special: Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar, Hrithik Roshan, Ranveer Singh and Sania Mirza. The all-star lineup also includes features on film directors Imtiaz Ali and AR Murugadoss, singer Arijit Singh, Olympic medal winning boxer Mary Kom and cricketer Ajinkya Rahane.
The Top Ten and their Earnings:

1. Salman Khan Rs 244.50 cr
2. Amitabh Bachchan Rs 196.75 cr
3. Shah Rukh Khan Rs 202.40 cr
4. MS Dhoni Rs 141.80 cr
5. Akshay Kumar Rs 172.00 cr
6. Virat Kohli Rs 58.43 cr
7. Aamir Khan Rs 80.47 cr
8. Deepika Padukone Rs 67.20 cr
9. Hrithik Roshan Rs 85.00 cr
10. Sachin Tendulkar Rs 59.54 cr

While the Forbes India Rich List focuses on net worth, the Celebrity 100 list is arrived at by measuring money (earnings estimates) and fame. The list includes movie actors, television stars, sportspersons, authors, film directors, music directors, singers and stand-up comedians. Their gross pre-tax earnings are combined with their fame scores to arrive at the Forbes India Celebrity 100 List.

The Celebrity 100 measures money and fame, which includes estimated entertainment related earnings from October 1, 2013 to September 30, 2014, and how visible they are on print, television and internet (including social media). Our principal data partners TAM-Eikona, Exceed Entertainment, Galatta magazine, LexisNexis, IOS Sports and Entertainment, and GroupM ESP helped provide data for Celeb endorsements as well on print and TV exposure. We were also supported by indiantelevision.com, radioandmusic.com, tellychakkar.com, and Nielsen BookScan for data gathering process on select category of celebrities.

The magazine, priced at Rs 150, will be available across the country on newsstands from 12 December 2014. For more details and coverage on the business of entertainment visit www.forbesindia.com