India's richest actor slept on footpath, had no hit for 9 years, worth Rs 6300 crore; not Salman, Aamir, Akshay, Amitabh

India's richest actor slept on footpath, had no hit for 9 years, worth Rs 6300 crore; not Salman, Aamir, Akshay, Amitabh

India's richest actor has a net worth of Rs 6300 crore, more than the combined wealth of the next two superstars

It was as late as 1993 that an Indian actor first charged Rs 1 crore for a single film. Just three decades on, the figure is one that is charged for cameos and not even by A-listers. Today, the biggest Indian stars charge over Rs 100 crore per film, and make even more in profit sharing. This has allowed many of the top stars to amass wealth over Rs 1000 crore. The richest Indian actor ever is worth Rs 6300 crore, which is not surprising. But what is endearing is his rags-to-riches journey, which started from footpaths and ended in a sea-front bungalow.

India’s richest actor is...

Shah Rukh Khan is arguably the most successful Bollywood star in the last 30 years. Along with other superstars like Salman Khan, Aamir Khan, and Akshay Kumar, he has been dominant at the box office for three decades now. This has helped him become one of the richest actors in the world, and the richest in India. As per Bloomberg, his net worth stands at over $760 million (Rs 6300 crore). In comparison, the other two Khans – Salman and Aamir have net worth of Rs 3000 crore and Rs 1500 crore. Amitabh Bachchan is worth nearly Rs 3300 crore as per reports. The richest actor from south India is Nagarjuna, with a reported net worth of Rs 3100 crore.

Shah Rukh Khan, India's richest actor

Shah Rukh Khan’s journey from footpath to Mannat

Shah Rukh was born in an upper-middle class household and by all accounts, he had a decent upbringing. His mother was a public servant and she sent him to one of Delhi’s top schools, followed by Delhi University and Jamia Millia Islamia, from where he dropped out. Shah Rukh’s struggle began after this as he became a TV actor first and then ventured into films. In an oft-told story, during his first visit to Mumbai, the star slept on pavements and stayed at the railway station as he had no money to go anywhere else. Barely a few years later, he was able to purchase his now home – Mannat on Bandra’s Bandstand, a heritage bungalow that is now valued in hundreds of crores.

Shah Rukh Khan’s career lull and comeback

Till the mid-2010s, Shah Rukh Khan was the reigning king of Bollywood. He had given some of the biggest hits in Hindi cinema history and continued to till 2013-14 with films like Chennai Express and Happy New Year. But the latter was to be his last clean hit for about nine years. In the four years after that, Shah Rukh appeared in a number of underperformers, from Fan and Raees to Jab Harry Met Sejal and Zero. In 2018, he took a break from acting, which was lengthened by the Covid-19 pandemic. This meant that by 2023, he had been away from films for five years and had no hit for nine. But Shah Rukh had a resounding comeback with three hits in the year, two of which (Pathaan and Jawan) grossed over Rs 1000 crore. His last release Dunki also grossed Rs 470 crore. The actor is reportedly working on a film titled King now, which stars his daughter Suhana Khan alongside him.

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