India's richest actor with ₹7500 crore net worth, no release over a year, yet outshines Salman Khan, Amitabh Bachchan

Mint

29-05-2025

Indian film industry where fame is fleeting and fortunes can rise and fall overnight, this actor has quietly built an empire and reputation for himself that goes beyond the silver screen. India's richest actor isn't just a star; he's a master of smart choices on and off-screen with a whooping net worth of ₹ 7500 crore, more than the combined net worth of Indian superstars like Salman Khan and Amitabh Bachchan.
India's richest actor is none other than Shah Rukh Khan.
In February 2025, Esquire Magazine revealed its annual list of the richest actors around the globe. Shah Rukh made it to the list with estimates of his net worth at $876.5 million (roughly ₹ 7500 crore), making him the fourth-richest actor in the world.
While the Badshah of Bollywood is only behind Hollywood legends like Arnold Schwarzenegger ($1.49 billion), Dwayne Johnson ($1.19 billion), and Tom Cruise ($891 million) on the Esquire list, he also surpassed actors including George Clooney ($742.8 million), Robert de Niro ($735.5 million), and Brad Pitt ($594.2 million) with his wealth.
Back home in India, Shah Rukh Khan's net worth leaves his industry mates behind by a wide margin. While top stars like Salman Khan ( ₹ 2,900 crore), Hrithik Roshan ( ₹ 3,100 crore), Aamir Khan ( ₹ 1,900 crore), and Akshay Kumar ( ₹ 2,500 crore) boast impressive fortunes, they are still nowhere close to Shah Rukh's financial standing. Even Amitabh Bachchan ( ₹ 1,600 crore), Chiranjeevi ( ₹ 1,650 crore), and Nagarjuna ( ₹ 3,000 crore) who made their debut before Shah Rukh are yet to catch up to the richest actor in India.
Notably, the only Indian actor who is the most close to Shah Rukh Khan's staggering net worth is his own friend, co-star and business partner, Juhi Chawla.
She is India's richest actress with an estimated net worth of ₹ 4600 crore. Wondering where does her wealth come from?
Shah Rukh Khan made his Bollywood debut with the romantic drama Deewana (1992) after foraying into the entertainment industry with the Doordarshan series Fauji (1988).
He rose to fame with the 1993 thrillers Baazigar and Darr and went on to star in hits like Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995), Dil To Pagal Hai (1997), Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham... (2001) and the list goes on.
The actor had a setback after the failure of his film, Zero (2018).
He made a strong comeback with YRF's Pathaan (2023), which broke several records at the box office, including the first Bollywood movie to gross over ₹ 100 crore globally on its opening day.
His next was Atlee's Jawan, which was also released in the same year and became the highest-grossing Indian film of 2023.
His last release was Rajkummar Hirani's Dunki which was met with mixed reviews from fans and critics.
Dunki grossed ₹ 470.6 crore worldwide, but the film failed to live upto the expectations, replicating the success of Jawan and Pathaan. In fact, the filmmaker Rajkummar Hirani admitted that his film didn't live up to expectations in an interview with Komal Nahta.
When asked "One film that did worse than you anticipated at the box office," he simply replied with Dunki.
Shah Rukh will be next seen in the upcoming film, King. It will also have his daughter Suhana Khan alongside many others.