Believe it or not, Bollywood produces more than twice the number of movies that Hollywood does. In fact, according to WeForum, in 2018, there were 1,800 digital feature films released in India compared to just 500 released in America. Not only are there more films produced many prefer these flicks because they rely less on special effects and the use of technology and more on the performance that is being delivered by the people.
Sex is generally not shown which is also a key difference between their Hollywood counterparts. Instead the screen is lit up with dancing expressing the beauty of this act and without causing false preconceived notions about something that in India, is considered a spiritual experience.
Bollywood gets its name from the main entertainment city in India, Bombay (now known as Mumbai) and Hollywood. Often the actors and actresses of Bollywood are skilled singers and dancers, far more than you would find in Hollywood, because Bollywood movies are often predominantly made up of scenes that include these performance skills.
Irrfan Khan
Net Worth: $30 million
Khan’s debut film was a minor role in Salaam Bombay back in 1988.
His breakthrough role came in the dramas Haasil in 2003 and Maqbool in 2004 from which he went on to gain acclaim for his role in The Namesake in 2006, Life in a … Metro in 2007 and Paan Singh Tomar in 2011. For his starring role in Paan, he won the National Film Award for Best Actor.
It was Irrfan Khan’s roles in Hollywood that perhaps made him even more famous. One would remember him in the 2002 The Amazing Spider-Man, 2012 Life of Pi and, of course, Jurassic Park in 2009.
Khan’s films grossed over $3.6 billion in worldwide box office. Sadly, in April of 2020, Irrfan Khan passed away with a colon infection, although he was diagnosed with neuroendocrine tumour a couple of years back in 2018.
At the time of his death, Irrfan Khan was estimated to have an estimated net worth of some $30 million.
Akshay Kumar
Net Worth: $100 million
Akshay Kumar has appeared in over 100 films, mostly Hindi films. Kumar started his career in 1991 with the film Saugandh, which was more of an educational film that tried to educate the public about the myth of curing girls of pneumonia through sexual contact with them.
His first big commercial break came with the action thriller Khiladi which established him as an action actor in the 80s. This was the first of the Khiladi franchise which Kumar would reprise his role in its later installments, in addition to other action films.
Kumar ventured into romantic roles in Dhadkan (2000), Andaaz (2003) and Namastey London (2007) with success, showing a softer side that made women swoon.
Kumar has won various awards and accolades for his roles, although commercially, the success of his films was not consistent.
Outside of movies, Kumar hosted television shows like Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi, and as an action star, he also did stunt work, performing many hair-raising stunts.
Akshay Kumar is no doubt one of the more successful actors in Bollywood, and in 2019, he was on Forbes’ list of one of the highest-paid entertainers in the world, with earnings of about $48 million that year.
As of 2023, Akshay Kumar is thought to have an estimated net worth of $100 million.
Dharmendra
Net Worth: $40 million
Dharam Singh Deol known as Dharmendra is a celebrated macho-actor in Indian cinema. He was active in the 70s, and was at the time one of the most handsome men in the world.
He was bestowed the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to Hindi cinema in 1997.
This veteran actor has been in over 300 films since the early 60s and one of his best-known films, Sholay (1975), was awarded Filmfare Best Film of 50 years – quite an achievement since Bollywood is known to produce hundreds of films each year.
Although he is not active in films anymore, his last role being in 2014 where he played a double role in the Punjabi film Double Di Trouble.
Throughout his career, he has won over 20 awards and many other accolades and honors.
As of 2023, Dharam Singh Deol is thought to have an estimated net worth of $40 million.
Anupam Kher
Net Worth: $50 million
Anupam Kher is another veteran Bollywood actor who has been in the industry since the 80s.
He was the former Chairman of Film and Television Institute of India and is the recipient of two National Film Awards and eight Filmfare Awards. He won the Filmfare Award for Best Actor for his performance in Saaransh (1984). He holds the record for winning the Filmfare Award for Best Comedian five times in total.
In India, it was in the late 80s that his career really took off when he received wide recognition for his performances in Ram Lakhan, a thriller, and Daddy, a television film.
Other than Hindi films, Kher has also appeared in international films like Bend It Like Beckham (2002), in Ang Lee’s award-winning Lust, Caution (2007), and David O. Russell’s Oscar-winning Silver linings Playbook in 2012. Internationally, He received a BAFTA nomination for his supporting role in the British television sitcom The Boy With The Topknot (2018).
Kher was honored by the Indian government in 2004, with the Padma Shri for the incalculable contribution that he has made to Indian cinema. In 2016, he was bestowed with yet a higher distinction and recognition from the Indian government: a Padma Bhushan award, which is the third-highest honor that can be granted. Kher’s wife, Kirron Kher is also an actress as well as a member of the Indian Parliament from Chandigarh.
Anupam Kher was appointed chairman of FTII (Film and Television Institute of India) in October 2017. On 31 October 2018, he resigned as the chairman of the FTII, citing his work commitments for the American TV show New Amsterdam.
As of 2023, Anupam Kher’s net worth is estimated to be $50 million.
Kamal Haasan
Net Worth: $55 million
Kamal Haasan is yet another veteran of Bollywood who has over 60 years of cinematic work and over 220 films under his belt.
Haasan was only a child when he starred in the 1960 Tamil-language film Kalathur Kannamma which won him the President’s Gold Medal. He worked frequently with director Vaaranam Vijay who is credited with shaping Haasan’s acting skills.
His breakthrough as a lead actor came in the 1975 drama Apoorva Raagangal, directed by K. Balachander, in which he played a rebellious youth who fell in love with an older woman. He also won his first National Film Award for his portrayal of a guileless school teacher who cared for a woman suffering from amnesia in Moondram Pirai (1983).
His performances in Mani Ratnam’s Nayakan (1987) and S. Shankar’s vigilante film Indian (1996) were widely lauded and for which he won his second and third National film awards, respectively. In total, he has won 4 National Film awards. He was also awarded the Prix Henri-Langlois French Award in 2016.
Since Indian in 1996, he has appeared in films like Hey Ram (2000), Virumaandi (2004), and Dasavathaaram (2008) in which he played ten different roles, and Vishwaroopam (2013) which he produced.
On February 21, 2018, Haasan formally launched his political party, Makkal Needhi Maiam (People’s Justice Centre). Although he is more involved in politics these days, director Lokesh Kanakaraj recently through his Twitter handle announced that his next venture would have Kamal Haasan in the lead role, and with Anirudh handling the music. The movie has been temporarily named #kamal232.
As of 2023, Kamal Haasan is thought to be worth $55 million, having made most of his money from his films in which he acted and many of which he produced.
While filing Indian 2, there was a serious accident when the crane in the studio collapsed, and it was reported that Haasan escaped a fatal outcome with a whisker. The accident claimed three lives.
Saif Ali Khan
Net Worth: $50 million
Saif Ali Khan is the son of famous Hindi actress Shamila Tagore and cricketer Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi. In the 90s, Khan achieved early success with the romantic drama Yeh Dillagi and the action film Main Khiladi Tu Anari both released in 1994.
After that, he did not seem to have kept up his popularity until the ensemble drama Hum Saath-Saath Hain (1999). He rose to prominence again with roles in two ensemble comedy-dramas—Dil Chahta Hai (2001) and Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003).
His next big break came with the romantic comedy Hum Tum (2004) where he played the male lead. This role won him a National Film Award for Best Actor and starring roles that followed in drama Parineeta and the romantic comedy Salaam Namaste (both 2005) established him as a leading actor in Bollywood.
He was praised for his portrayal of a manipulative businessman in the 2004 thriller Ek Hasina Thi, an apprentice in the 2006 English film Being Cyrus, a character based on William Shakespeare’s antagonist Iago in the 2006 crime film Omkara, and a terrorist in the 2009 thriller Kurbaan.
His biggest box-office hit was the 2008 thriller Race and its 2013 sequel, the 2009 romance Love Aaj Kal, and the 2012 romantic comedy Cocktail.
Khan has a National Film Award and six Filmfare Awards, and he also received Padma Shri in 2010, the fourth highest Indian civilian award.
As of 2023, Saif Ali Khan is estimated to have a net worth of $50 million.
Amir Khan
Net Worth: $25 million
Amir Khan’s career spanned over 30 years in Indian cinema. He has established himself as one of the most popular and influential actors of Indian cinema. He has a large global following, especially in India and China, and has been described by Newsweek as “the biggest movie star” in the world.
Khan is the recipient of many awards including nine Filmfare Awards, four National Film Awards, and an AACTA Award. He was honored by the Government of India with the Padma Shri in 2003 and the Padma Bhushan in 2010 and received an honorary title from the Government of China in 2017. For years, he has been regularly listed one among the 500 Most Influential Muslims of the world.
He was a child when he had his first role in a film produced by his uncle Nasir Hussain called Yaadon Ki Baaraat in 1973. His first adult role was in the film Holi (1984) which was an experimental film. He went on to star in various films after landing a leading role in the tragic romance Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (1988).
By the 90s, he had established himself as a leading actor of Hindi cinema with commercially successful roles like Dil (1990) and Raja Hindustani (1996).
He also has his own production house called Aamir Khan Productions whose first film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2001.
As of 2023, Amir Khan is estimated to have built him an estimated net worth of $25 million.
Salman Khan
Net Worth: $180 million
Salman Khan is also a long-established Hindi film actor having spent some 30 years in Indian cinema. He has won various awards including two National Film Awards as a film producer and two Filmfare Awards for his roles.
Khan began his acting career with a supporting role in Biwi Ho To Aisi (1988), followed by a leading role in Maine Pyar Kiya (1989). Khan continued in Bollywood in the 1990s with roles in several productions, including the romantic drama Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! (1994), the action thriller Karan Arjun (1995), the comedy Biwi No.1 (1999), and the family drama Hum Saath-Saath Hain (1999).
In the 2000s, Khan’s popularity took a bit of a dive, but he got back on top of his game in the 2010s by playing the lead role in successful action films like Dabangg (2010), Ready (2011), Ek Tha Tiger (2012), Kick (2014), Sultan (2016) and Tiger Zinda Hai (2017).
Salman Khan was involved in the infamous celebrity hit and run car accident. In 2015 he was convicted of culpable homicide for a negligent driving case in which he ran over five people with his car, killing one, but his conviction was set aside on appeal.
On 5 April 2018, Khan was convicted in a blackbuck poaching case and sentenced to five years imprisonment. He is currently out on bail while an appeal is being heard.
As of 2023, Salman Khan is thought to have an estimated net worth of $180 million.
Amitabh Bachchan
Net Worth: $300 million
One of the most famous Hindi actors of all time. In fact, Amitabh Bachchan dominated the Indian movie industry during the 70s and 80s. And it’s not just the Indian sub-continent that he is famous in, he has a large following from South Africa, Mauritius, the Middle East, the United States to New Zealand.
Bachchan has been honored with numerous awards and accolades, including four National Film Awards, a Dadasaheb Phalke Award for his lifetime achievement in Indian movie industry and many awards at international film festivals and award ceremonies. He has won fifteen Filmfare Awards and is the most nominated performer in any major acting category at Filmfare, with 41 nominations overall.
The Government of India honored him with the Padma Shri in 1984, the Padma Bhushan in 2001, and the Padma Vibhushan in 2015 for his contributions to the arts. The Government of France honored him with its highest civilian honor, Knight of the Legion of Honour, in 2007 for his exceptional career in the world of cinema and beyond.
Bachchan also made an appearance in a Hollywood film, Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby (2013), in which he played a non-Indian Jewish character, Meyer Wolfsheim.
As of 2023, this Hindi actor has an estimated net worth of $300 million.
Shah Rukh Khan
Net Worth: $400 million
Shah Rukh Khan is at the top of our list as the richest male actor in Bollywood.
Shah Rukh Khan is widely known as the “King” of Bollywood. he has appeared in more than 80 Hindi films, and garnered numerous accolades, including 14 Filmfare Awards.
The Government of India has awarded him the Padma Shri, and the Government of France has awarded him the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres and the Legion of Honour. Khan has a significant following in Asia and the Indian diaspora worldwide. In terms of audience size and income, he is one of the most successful film stars in the world.
He then rose to prominence after starring in a series of romantic films, like Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995), Dil To Pagal Hai (1997), Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), Mohabbatein (2000) and Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham… (2001). Khan received critical acclaim for his portrayal of an alcoholic in Devdas (2002), a NASA scientist in Swades (2004), a hockey coach in Chak De! India (2007) and a man with Asperger syndrome in My Name Is Khan (2010).
His highest-grossing films include the comedies Chennai Express (2013), Happy New Year (2014), Dilwale (2015), and the crime film Raees (2017). Many of his films explore Indian national identity and connections with diaspora communities, or gender, racial, social, and religious differences and grievances.
As of 2023, Khan is co-chairman of the motion picture production company Red Chillies Entertainment and its subsidiaries and is the co-owner of the Indian Premier League cricket team Kolkata Knight Riders and the Caribbean Premier League team Trinbago Knight Riders.
As of 2023, Shah Rukh Khan stands heads and shoulders above all other Hindi stars with an estimated net worth of $400 million.
