Top 10 highest paid actors in India 2024

Bollywood sits at the heart of the visual media ecosystem in India, owing to its appeal to the Hindi-speaking audience in the country, which is the language with the highest number of speakers. It’s no wonder, therefore, that some of the most-paid Indian actors come from Bollywood. However, contrary to popular belief, most of the top 10 highest-paid Indian actors are from South Indian film industries at Top 10 Highest Paid Actors in India 2024.

While the cinema of South India has achieved mainstream attention in recent years, captivating viewers across all Indian regions with their action-packed stories, they have had cult followings across the country for a long time. As a result, South Indian actors have broken into the list of the top 10 most-paid Indian actors in droves.

In this article, we look at a list of the most paid Indian actors to have insights into the big earners at Top 10 Highest Paid Actors in India 2024.

Top 10 most-paid Indian actors

Here are the top 10 highest-paid Indian actors, with data sourced from IMDb and sorted from the most paid to the least:

A closer look at the highest-paid Indian actors

Now, what makes these ‘heroes’ earn so much? They have had illustrious careers with films that have delivered social messages, family dramas, romance, action, and plain entertainment, drawing innumerable fans to boost their popularity. Here’s an insight into their work:

Shah Rukh Khan

• Debut year: 1987
• Approx net worth: Rs6300 crores.

Shah Rukh Khan, sometimes known as “King Khan,” has had some major box office failures over his career, but that hasn’t stopped him from producing two back-to-back hits in 2023: Pathan and Jawani, both of which have grossed over Rs. 2000 crores globally. Dunki, his most recent release, is still making a lot of money and demonstrating his star power. Shah Rukh Khan began his career in television in the late 1980s and broke through into Bollywood with the 1992 film Deewana. Since then, he has broken numerous records and established himself as the highest-paid actor in Bollywood, ranking first among the Top 10 Highest Paid Actors in India 2024.

Rajinikanth

• Debut year: 1975
• Approx net worth: Rs430 crore

Rajinikanth, the highest-paid South Indian actor, has almost achieved the status of a living deity in the Southern parts of India and beyond, pulling in enthused crowds through his presence in a movie alone at Top 10 Highest Paid Actors in India 2024. His actual name is Shivaji Rao Gaikwad, and he has primarily worked in Tamil cinema. Rajinikanth was last seen in Jailer, an action comedy that became a box office success; he charged Rs110 crores for the movie.

Joseph Vijay

• Debut year: 1984
• Approx net worth: Rs474 crores

Another of the highest-paid South Indian actors, Joseph Vijay Chandrasekhar, is also known as Thalapathy Vijay. His career spans over two decades, starting at age 10 in 1984 as a child artist in the movie Vetri at Top 10 Highest Paid Actors in India 2024. Vijay is one of the most bankable performers in the South movie industries; his 2023 movies include Varisu, which earned around Rs300 crore worldwide, and Leo, which grossed over Rs612 crore worldwide. Notably, Leo is also the highest-grossing Tamil film of 2023.

Aamir Khan

• Debut year: 1973
• Approx net worth: Rs1862 crore

Aamir Khan’s fan base appreciates his careful choice of movies, earning him the nickname ‘Mr. Perfectionist’ for his dedication to the perfect execution of every aspect of the media he is a part of. His last release, Laal Singh Chaddha in 2022, did not see notable success; however, he is set to continue his holiday season movie release trend with Sitaare Zameen Par in 2024, after fan-favourite hits like Dangal, PK, and 3 Idiots.

Prabhas

• Debut year: 2002
• Approx net worth: Rs241 crore

Prabhas earned true stardom after the release of SS Rajamouli’s historic Baahubali duology, pushing the actor’s net worth to a jump of 94 percent in the past eight years at Top 10 Highest Paid Actors in India 2024. While his Adipurush was a controversial flop, his latest Salaar currently has a domestic net collection of Rs369.37 crore, leaving Rajinikanth’s Jailer behind at its net Rs348.55 crore.

Ajith Kumar

• Debut year: 1990
• Approx net worth: Rs196 crore

Yet another of the highest-paid South Indian actors, Kumar’s performance in the 2023 release Thunivu was well received by fans. The movie earned a total of Rs130 crores in Indian markets at Top 10 Highest Paid Actors in India 2024.

Salman Khan

• Debut year: 1988
• Approx net worth: Rs2900 crore

Yet another Bollywood actor with a significant fan following, Salman Khan’s image as an actor has gone from the romantic Prem of the 1990s to the early 2000s to everyone’s ‘bhai’ in recent years. His popularity has grown, making him one of the most-paid Indian actors. His latest release, Tiger 3, has earned over Rs466.63 crore worldwide at Top 10 Highest Paid Actors in India 2024.

Kamal Hassan

• Debut year: 1960
• Approx net worth: Rs150 crore

Kamal Hassan is another phenomenon from South India, having starred in around 220 films in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi. While the actor saw no release in 2023, anticipation is building around his upcoming KH 234 with director Mani Ratnam at Top 10 Highest Paid Actors in India 2024.

Allu Arjun

• Debut year: 2003
• Approx net worth: Rs350 crore

Arjun is best known across India for his starring role in Pushpa: The Rise, a 2021 Telugu film. A sequel titled Pushpa: The Rule- Part 2 is scheduled for 2024; the movie is expected to break box office records set by Shah Rukh Khan’s Jawan.

Akshay Kumar

• Debut year: 1987
• Approx net worth: Rs2500 crore

In family-friendly films like Bhool Bhulaiyaa and Hera Pheri, Akshay Kumar is renowned for his comedic timing. He has also appeared in a number of films with socially conscious themes in recent years, such as Toilet: Ek Prem Katha, Padman, and more at Top 10 Highest Paid Actors in India 2024. Although he didn’t have any big hits in 2023, OMG 2, which included him as a guest, made over Rs221 crore globally.

 Who is the highest-paid Indian actress?

Priyanka Chopra Jonas is the highest-paid Indian actress in 2023; she charges approximately Rs14 to 40 crore per movie/TV series at Top 10 Highest Paid Actors in India 2024.

Who are the world’s wealthiest actors?

The wealthiest actors in the world include Tyler Perry (net worth around $1 billion), Jerry Seinfeld (net worth approx $950 million), Dwayne Johnson (net worth approx $800 million), Shah Rukh Khan, the highest-paid Bollywood star, and Tom Cruise (net worth about $600 million).