Bollywood sits at the heart of the visual media ecosystem in India, owing to its appeal to the Hindi-speaking audience in the country, which is the language with the highest number of speakers. ItтАЩs no wonder, therefore, that some of the most-paid Indian actors come from Bollywood. However, contrary to popular belief, most of the top 10 highest-paid Indian actors are from South Indian film industries at Top 10 Highest Paid Actors in India 2024.
While the┬аcinema of South India┬аhas achieved mainstream attention in recent years, captivating viewers across all Indian regions with their action-packed stories, they have had cult followings across the country for a long time. As a result, South Indian actors have broken into the list of the top 10 most-paid Indian actors in droves.
In this article, we look at a list of the most paid Indian actors to have insights into the big earners at Top 10 Highest Paid Actors in India 2024.
Top 10 most-paid Indian actors
Here are the top 10 highest-paid Indian actors, with data sourced from┬аIMDb┬аand sorted from the most paid to the least:
| Rank | Actor Name | Approximate Fee Charged Per Movie in Rs |
| 1. | Shah Rukh Khan | 150cr to 250cr |
| 2. | Rajinikanth | 115cr to 270cr |
| 3. | Joseph Vijay | 130cr to 250cr |
| 5. | Aamir Khan | 100cr to 275cr |
| 4. | Prabhas | 100cr to 200cr |
| 10. | Ajith Kumar | 105cr to 165cr |
| 6. | Salman Khan | 100cr to 150c |
| 7. | Kamal Haasan | 100cr to 150cr |
| 8. | Allu Arjun | 100cr to 125cr |
| 9. | Akshay Kumar | 60cr to 145cr |
A closer look at the highest-paid Indian actors
Now, what makes these тАШheroesтАЩ earn so much? They have had illustrious careers with films that have delivered social messages, family dramas, romance, action, and plain entertainment, drawing innumerable fans to boost their popularity. HereтАЩs an insight into their work at Top 10 Highest Paid Actors in India 2024:
Shah Rukh Khan
- Debut year: 1987
- Approx net worth:┬аRs6300 crores.
Frequently called King Khan, Shah Rukh Khan has had some big flops in his body of work, but none of that has stopped him from delivering two consecutive blockbusters in 2023,┬аJawan┬аand┬аPathaan, both crossing Rs2000 crores worldwide. His latest release,┬аDunki┬аcontinues to earn big as well, highlighting his star power. Starting with television series in the late 1980s and breaking into Bollywood with 1992тАЩs┬аDeewana, Shah Rukh Khan has built his career from scratch and continued to break records, sealing his position as the highest-paid Bollywood star at Top 10 Highest Paid Actors in India 2024.
Rajinikanth
- Debut year: 1975
- Approx net worth:┬аRs430 crore
Rajinikanth, the highest-paid South Indian actor, has almost achieved the status of a living deity in the Southern parts of India and beyond, pulling in enthused crowds through his presence in a movie alone. His actual name is Shivaji Rao Gaikwad, and he has primarily worked in Tamil cinema. Rajinikanth was last seen in┬аJailer, an action comedy that became a box office success; he charged Rs110 crores for the movie at Top 10 Highest Paid Actors in India 2024.
Joseph Vijay
- Debut year: 1984
- Approx net worth:┬аRs474 crores
Another of the highest-paid South Indian actors, Joseph Vijay Chandrasekhar, is also known as Thalapathy Vijay. His career spans over two decades, starting at age 10 in 1984 as a child artist in the movie┬аVetri. Vijay is one of the most bankable performers in the South movie industries; his 2023 movies include┬аVarisu, which earned around Rs300 crore worldwide, and┬аLeo, which grossed over Rs612 crore worldwide. Notably,┬аLeo┬аis also the highest-grossing Tamil film of 2023 at Top 10 Highest Paid Actors in India 2024.
Aamir Khan
- Debut year: 1973
- Approx net worth:┬аRs1862 crore
Aamir KhanтАЩs fan base appreciates his careful choice of movies, earning him the nickname тАШMr. PerfectionistтАЩ for his dedication to the perfect execution of every aspect of the media he is a part of. His last release,┬аLaal Singh Chaddha┬аin 2022, did not see notable success; however, he is set to continue his holiday season movie release trend with┬аSitaare Zameen Par┬аin 2024, after fan-favourite hits like┬аDangal,┬аPK, and┬а3 Idiots.
Prabhas
- Debut year: 2002
- Approx net worth:┬аRs241 crore
Prabhas earned true stardom after the release of SS RajamouliтАЩs historic┬аBaahubali┬аduology, pushing the actorтАЩs net worth to a┬аjump of 94 percent┬аin the past eight years. While his┬аAdipurush┬аwas a controversial flop, his latest┬аSalaar┬аcurrently has a domestic net collection of Rs369.37 crore, leaving RajinikanthтАЩs Jailer behind at its net Rs348.55 crore at Top 10 Highest Paid Actors in India 2024.
Ajith Kumar
- Debut year: 1990
- Approx net worth:┬аRs196 crore
Yet another of the highest-paid South Indian actors, KumarтАЩs performance in the 2023 release┬аThunivu┬аwas well received by fans. The movie earned a total of Rs130 crores in Indian markets at Top 10 Highest Paid Actors in India 2024.
Salman Khan
- Debut year: 1988
- Approx net worth:┬аRs2900 crore
Yet another Bollywood actor with a significant fan following, Salman KhanтАЩs image as an actor has gone from the romantic┬аPrem┬аof the 1990s to the early 2000s to everyoneтАЩs тАШbhaiтАЩ in recent years at Top 10 Highest Paid Actors in India 2024. His popularity has grown, making him one of the most-paid Indian actors. His latest release,┬аTiger 3, has earned over Rs466.63 crore worldwide.
Kamal Hassan
- Debut year: 1960
- Approx net worth:┬аRs150 crore
Kamal Hassan is another phenomenon from South India, having starred in around 220 films in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi. While the actor saw no release in 2023, anticipation is building around his upcoming┬аKH 234┬аwith director Mani Ratnam at Top 10 Highest Paid Actors in India 2024.
Allu Arjun
- Debut year: 2003
- Approx net worth:┬аRs350 crore
Arjun is best known across India for his starring role in┬аPushpa: The Rise, a 2021 Telugu film. A sequel titled┬аPushpa: The Rule- Part 2┬аis scheduled for 2024; the movie is expected to break box office records set by Shah Rukh KhanтАЩs┬аJawan at Top 10 Highest Paid Actors in India 2024.
Akshay Kumar
- Debut year: 1987
- Approx net worth:┬аRs2500 crore
Akshay Kumar is well known for his comic timing in movies like┬аHera Pheri, Bhool Bhulaiyaa,┬аand more family entertainers. In recent years, he has also been a part of several movies carrying important social messages, including┬аToilet: Ek Prem Katha, Padman,┬аand more. While 2023 didnтАЩt see any notable hits from him,┬аOMG 2, with a guest appearance by him, earned approximately Rs221 crore worldwide at Top 10 Highest Paid Actors in India 2024.
Who is the highest-paid Indian actress?
Priyanka Chopra Jonas is the highest-paid Indian actress in 2023; she charges approximately Rs14 to 40 crore per movie/TV series at Top 10 Highest Paid Actors in India 2024.
Who are the worldтАЩs wealthiest actors?
The wealthiest actors in the world include Tyler Perry (net worth around $1 billion), Jerry Seinfeld (net worth approx $950 million), Dwayne Johnson (net worth approx $800 million), Shah Rukh Khan, the highest-paid Bollywood star, and Tom Cruise (net worth about $600 million).
