Actress Deepika Padukone became the first woman to break into the Forbes India Celebrity 100 list as she took the 4th spot. The actress is ranked ahead of husband Ranveer Singh, Amitabh Bachchan, Sachin Tendulkar and Ajay Devgn. However, the list continues to be topped by Salman Khan for the third year in a row despite the disappointing showing of Race 3 (2018).
The list was compiled based on the entertainment-related earnings of celebrities in the period between October 2017 and September 2018. The magazine states that it ‘sought independent estimates from multiple sources—industry insiders, talent management agencies, film and TV production companies, publishers, music industry professionals, sports consultants, advertising and media agencies, brand marketers, celebrity managers and other relevant experts.
Salman’s reign at the top of the list is backed by his multiple brand endorsements, television appearances, and film releases, which have earned the actor a sum of Rs253.25 crore this year. According to Forbes India, the actor continues to be India’s highest paid celebrity for the third year in the running.
He is followed by Indian cricket captain, Virat Kohli, whose annual earnings add up to Rs228.09 crore. Akshay Kumar, despite the acclaim of 2.0 (2018), is a distant third with Rs185 crore.
Padukone’s commercial earnings through entertainment have increased to Rs112.8 crore, making her the first woman to enter the top 5 rankings of the list since its inception in 2013.
The actress beat out competition from Aamir Khan, Bachchan, Singh, and Devgn, who bring up the top 10 in the order.
Despite the expected release of Zero, actor Shah Rukh Khan lost out on the top 10, and is ranked at 13, with earnings of Rs56 crore.
While Priyanka Chopra rose to the 7th position on the list last year, the actress’s absence on Indian screens has hit her standings. With her annual earnings stated at Rs18 crore, the actress slipped to 49th spot.
The list of 100 celebrity earners also includes 18 women, which is a drop from the 21 listed last year. These include Alia Bhatt, Anushka Sharma, Taapsee Pannu, PV Sindhu, Nayanthara among others.