3 Indian actors in Forbes list of top paid actors in the world.
By Dileep Thekkethil
BENGALURU: The release of Forbes’s global list of the top paid actors has many surprises for India as it has listed Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar and Amitabh Bachchan above Hollywood actors Johnny Depp and Dwayne Johnson.
The new report has named Amitabh Bachchan, Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar in the list of the top 10 most paid actors in the world, pushing behind the WWE star turned actor Dwayne (The Rock) and the Pirates of the Caribbean fame Johnny Depp, out of the list.
The other Indian actors who made it into the list of 34 highest-paid actors are superstar Shah Rukh Khan and Ranbir Kapoor.
This is the first time that Forbes has considered actors outside Hollywood for the ‘World’s Highest-Paid Actors’ list, which is a data based on the yearly earnings of each actor on a dollar basis.
The 2015 list of the top paid actors includes 12 newcomers, out of which five are from India. India has the second largest number of actors in the list, next only to the US. A combined total of $140.5 million was earned by Indian actors in the list during the 2014 financial year.
The report says that Amithab Bachchan and Salman Khan earned $33.5 million each, securing the 7th place in the list. Akshay Kumar, who is listed 9th, is one of the busiest actors in India with an annual earning of $32.5 million, which is equal to what actors Chris Pratt, Ben Affleck, George Clooney and Brad Pitt made combined, Forbes said.
The first name in the list is that of Robert Downey Jr., whose latest flick – Avengers: Age of Ultron got a positive response. He earned a whopping $80 million dollars during the last financial year. Behind him is Jackie Chan with $50 million, followed by Fast and Furious fame Vin Diesel at the third spot with $47 million and American Sniper hero Bradley Cooper in 4th position with $41.5 million in earnings.
In the meanwhile, Shah Rukh Khan, the King of Bollywood could find the only 19th position, ranking below other Indian actors, earning just $26 million. He is followed by Ranbir Kapoor in the 30th position with $15 million earnings.
Amitabh Bachchan earned much of his revenue through Kaun Banega Crorepati, the Indian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. The show, which was telecasted in 2014, even in its 8th session found a viewership of 5.2 million, says Forbes. Adding to this was his exceptional performance in the 2014 hit movie Bhoothnath Returns, in which he appears as a friendly ghost.
On the other hand, Salman Khan, who had a very turbulent 2014 due to his court cases, managed to make it to the list of top 10 most paid actors, sharing the same position with Amitabh Bachchan. “Though such lawsuits may have doomed his career stateside, Khan maintains a loyal following, particularly among India’s provincial moviegoers,” Forbes said.