India's most valuable celeb is actor with no film in years, but ₹1700 crore brand value; beat Ranveer Singh, Virat Kohli
Here's the latest box office buzz making the rounds:
The annual Star Brand Valuation Report from consulting firm Kroll is out. The list was rolled out on Wednesday, offering a glimpse of the most valuable Indian celebrities by brand value. Virat Kohli was dethroned from the top spot after 2024 and replaced by a Bollywood superstar who remains visible and much-loved despite not having had a movie rollout in close to three years. Buoyed by his Dhurandhar success, Ranveer Singh has also eclipsed Kohli, retaining the second spot.
Adding to this, India's most valuable star of 2025. India’s most valuable star The 2025 report places superstar Shah Rukh Khan at numero uno with a reported brand value of $177.9 million (approximately ₹ 1700 crore rupees). The star was in the third spot in the 2024 list, and has climbed to the top spot despite having had no rollout in theatres since Dunki in December 2023.
Meanwhile, However, Shah Rukh’s brand value has been independent of his movie releases (or their success or failure). Over the last three decades, he has established himself as one of the most recognisable Indian faces globally. This year, Shah Rukh will end his mini-sabbatical with the rollout of Siddharth Anand’s King, set to hit the screens in December.
Notably, Ranveer Singh has retained the second spot in the list for the second year in a row. Last year, he was behind Kohli and ahead of SRK. This year, it is the other way round. Kroll estimates his brand value at $162.9 million (around ₹ 1550 crore rupees). Former Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli is down at number 3 this year, from the top spot last year. His brand value has been pegged at $158.4 million ( ₹ 1500 crore rupees). Ranveer has had the best year of his career since 2025, with his two Dhurandhar films minting ₹ 3100 crore rupees worldwide.
As per the latest buzz, Cricket legends MS Dhoni and Sachin Tendulkar follow their Team India junior Kohli in the list at numbers 4 and 5, respectively. Alia Bhatt is the highest-ranked female celeb in the list at #6 with a brand valuation of $93.2 million. She is ahead of husband Ranbir Kapoor, in the 10th spot at $80 million. Deepika Padukone, Hrithik Roshan, and Amitabh Bachchan complete the top 10.
In further updates, Kroll’s Star Brand Valuation Report 2025 has valued India's top 25 star brands at $2 billion (over ₹ 19000 crore rupees), a 3.7% decline from the previous year. The report also noted that 13 men and 12 women featured in the overall rankings, with the valuations based on the strength of star endorsement portfolios and their relative social media presence.
On top of that, Abhimanyu Mathur is Deputy Editor, Entertainment at Hindustan Times. With almost 15 years of experience in writing about everything from films and TV shows to cricket matches and elections, he inhales and exhales pop culture and news. Currently, he watches movies and TV shows and talks to celebrities for a living, while occasionally writing about them as well. A journalism graduate of Delhi College of Arts and Commerce, Delhi University, Abhimanyu began his career with Hindustan Times at the age of 20, swapping classrooms for newsrooms at an early age. He began his journey in the early days of digital journalism, later switching to the madness of print journalism. Work has led him to far off places like Japan and Jordan, as well as to the interiors of Haryana and the Indo-Pak border. He dabbled in city reporting in places like Meerut, Gurgaon, and Delhi, covered the Olympics and Cricket World Cups, before finding his calling in entertainment and lifestyle during the pandemic. A Rotten Tomatoes Certified Movie Critic, he is equally at home covering stories on ground as he is interviewing celebrities and studios, and sometimes prefers to shepherd teams in delivering traffic through the day. Even as his role has evolved from reporter to supervisor over the years, his first love remains writing (and of late, talking on camera). With a good understanding of cinema and its trends, and a keen eye for detail, he continues to spark conversations around showbiz for readers around the world. Read More
Source: Hindustan Times