Highest Paid Male Actors In India

Reportedly Allu Arjun is the highest-paid actor in 2024

Several popular and highly acclaimed Indian male actors have doubled their acting fees since the inception of Pan-India films. For the last few years, the Indian film industry has delivered abundant high-grossing films such as the Baahubali franchise, KGF franchise, Pathaan, Jawan, Stree 2, Leo, and many more. Lead actors of such films are paid their acting fees but they also receive a small chunk of the profit percentage depending upon the box office performance of respective films.

Actors like Kartik Aaryan, Ranveer Singh, and Varun Dhawan charge 25 to 30 crores per film.

Superstar actors like Salman Khan and Shahrukh Khan do not charge anything for movies. They receive almost 50 % of the profit depending upon the lifetime business of their films. Shahrukh Khan did not charge anything for Pathaan (2023). But he received over 200 crores as his contract of profit sharing.

Here is a look at some of the highest-paid actors in India

Allu Arjun

Telugu movie Allu Arjun is presently the highest-paid actor in India. Allu Arjun usually charges anywhere near 100 – 150 crores per film. But his upcoming December 2024 release ‘Pushpa 2’ is one of the most awaited films of the year. It is reported that he will be paid over 300 crores.

Pushpa 2 is going to break every record Indian film ever. Pushpa 2 has already earned over 500 crores by selling its digital and music rights. Pushpa 2 is predicted to earn over 1200+ crores globally. Allu Arjun has signed a profit-sharing deal with the producers of the film.

Vijay

Before Allu Arjun, it was Tamil movie actor Vijay who was the highest-paid actor in India. He is presently the second highest-paid actor in India. Vijay has been paid a whopping 275 crores for his last and final film.

Vijay usually charges 180 – 200 crores per film. But he has announced his retirement from the films. Vijay is doing one final film before his retirement. The untitled film is set to release in October 2025. It is one of the most anticipated films as it is Vijay’s final and last film. The untitled film of Vijay is predicted to emerge as the highest-grossing Tamil movie ever.

Prabhas

Prabhas is the biggest movie star in India. He is the solo Pan-India actor who guarantees a 150+ crore opening for his every film. The last many films of his have grossed over 1000+ crores worldwide. He has several promising films scheduled to be released in the coming years.

Prabhas charges over 200 crores per film. he has been a paid a whopping 575 crores for his three film deal with the production company Hombale Films.

Shahrukh Khan

Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan who has made a big comeback after a string of flop film, is the highest-paid actor of Hindi films.

In 2023, Shahrukh Khan delivered two 1000+ crores movies, Pathaan and Jawan. Shahrukh Khan didn’t charge anything for his acting but he received a massive percentage of profit from producers of the films.

Pathaan grossed over 1000+ crores globally. It was produced by Aditya Chopra of Yash Raj Films who paid over 180 crores to Shahrukh Khan.

Jawan which grossed over 1200+ crores globally was produced by Shahrukh Khan himself. Shahrukh Khan’s production company Red Chillies Entertainment took the most of the profit but Shahrukh Khan received over 220 cores for his acting.

Salman Khan

Despite his several films being underperformers, Salman Khan is still one of the highest-paid actors in India. Many of his recent films have not achieved extraordinary business like his previous films.

Salman Khan does not charge anything for a film. he receives a percentage of the profit from producers. His last film ‘T3’ was predicted to earn over 1000+ crores globally but ended up at just 450 crores. Hence, Salman Khan received just 100 crores for T3. He would have received over 200 crores if ‘T3’ had earned over 1000+ crores globally.

Salman Khan has an exciting film lineup. His upcoming film is ‘Sikandar’. Salman Khan can be paid over 150 crores if Sikandar earns over 600+ crores globally.

Hrithik Roshan

Hrithik Roshan is a superstar. However, he has not been consistent in delivering high-grossing and major commercially successful films. His last film ‘FGR’ emerged as a decent success at the box office. The film was made on a massive budget. Hrithik Roshan was paid nearly 60 to 70 crores since the film did not perform well.

But Hrithik Roshan and Jr NTR’s W2 is set to release in 2025. It is going to become one of the highest-grossing Indian films ever. Hrithik Roshan and Jr NTR might be paid 150 crores each for W2.

Ranbir Kapoor

Ranbir Kapoor usually used to charge 30 to 40 crores per film. But his last film ‘Animal’ has proved to be a career-changing film for him. Following the mammoth success of Animal, Ranbir Kapoor has emerged as one of the biggest superstars in India. He is now challenging big actors of Bollywood like Salman Khan, Shahrukh Khan, Ajay Devgn, and Akshay Kumar.

Ranbir Kapoor is no longer a young actor. He is a massive movie star now. He has doubled his fees after Animal. For Animal (2023), Ranbir Kapoor received over 50 crores. But for Animal’s sequel titled ‘Animal Park’, Ranbir Kapoor may receive over 200 crores as part of the profit sharing.

Ranbir Kapoor is now charging over 100 crores for his upcoming films.

Other Actors

Popular Telugu movie Mahesh Babu charges anywhere near 100 to 120 crore per film. But his upcoming film is with SS Rajamouli. It is a globetrotter jungle adventure film. The film will be made on a budget of 1000 crores and is predicted to earn over 2000 crores. Mahesh Babu shall be paid over 200 crores depending upon the lifetime business of the film.

Young superstar actors such as Yash, Ram Charan, and Jr NTR charge nearly 100 – 120 crores per film.

Actors such as Ranveer Singh, Kartik Aaryan and Varun Dhawan are quite young. But they have achieved an amazing fan following in India and they can easily deliver a nice successful film. Ranveer Singh, Kartik Aaryan and Varun Dhawan usually charges 20 to 30 crores depending upon the genre and budget of the film.