Bollywood star Salman Khan has once again maintained the top spot in Forbes India Celebrity 100 list for the second consecutive year. Bollywood’s baadshah Shah Rukh Khan and India’s cricket captain Virat Kohli took the second and third spot respectively with Priyanka Chopra as the only female celebrity featuring in the top 10 list.
The 2017 Forbes India Celebrity 100 List rankings are based on estimates of entertainment-related earnings of celebrities. The period under consideration is October 1, 2016 to September 30, 2017. The methodology for calculating the ranking may have changed this year (to exclude the “fame” quotient), but the list’s top three names have remained constant.
51-year-old Salman, for the second successive year, grabbed the top spot, despite the subdued box office performance of his film Tubelight. The actor earned Indian 232.83 crore, while Shah Rukh Khan followed with Rs. 170.5 crore retaining his position at number two as did India’s cricket captain Virat Kohli, with Rs. 100.72 crore, at third spot.
But although the top three held on to their ranks, their cumulative earnings declined by almost 20 percent.
Joy Chakraborthy, CEO – Forbes India and President – Revenue, TV18, said, “We are delighted to present yet another collector’s edition of Forbes India which will hit the stands soon. Over the years this list has established itself as the definitive benchmark of who’s making what in the entire entertainment world.”
“This year’s Celebrity 100 list is based on a revised methodology focusing on the celebrities’ earnings, thus reflecting in better representation and hence a well-rounded Celebrity list of 100.
The revised methodology this year, focusing only on a celebrity’s earnings (compared to the previous combination of ‘fame’ and ‘earnings’), has increased representation from the prolific South Indian film industry.
There are 13 actors from the South this year as against 11 last year. The number of Bollywood actors is down from 35 to 33, reducing their cumulative earnings by 13 percent from the previous year.
There is one woman in the top 10, Priyanka Chopra (Rs 68 crore), as she continued to make her mark internationally.
