A superstar is defined by how consistently they are able to open a majority of their films and then deliver blockbuster numbers that set the bar for future generations. In over seventy-five years of Bollywood, there have been many stars – but only few were given true superstardom because those select few were able to make an impact in nearly every film they starred in thanks to both big box office numbers and strong openings. Of those lucky ones, it would be difficult to deny the power behind the likes of Dilip Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra, Raj Kapoor, Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan or Aamir Khan; as these seven names (in any order) have remained relevant across each decade with some longevity to really solidify themselves as true superstars over time.
In the battle for these top 8 spots, Rajesh Khanna, Jeetendra, Mithun Chakraborty, Rajendra Kumar (Manoj Kumar), Hrithik Roshan, Akshay Kumar and Ajay Devgn are all battling it out to see who will finally come out on top. And while many may think this is just another movie-ranking news post – we at Bollywood Hungama assure you it’s not! As India celebrates its 69th Independence Day today (August 15th) or as some Indians call it Bharat Diwasi (meaning the day of Indian independence), we bring you a list of actors with the most number one blockbusters from when the country became independent in 1947 until now.
Rank 6 – Hrithik Roshan
Hrithik Roshan is one of the most successful actors who has debuted in recent years. In fact, it would not be wrong to call him one of the best superstars after having produced four highest grossing films out of just twenty-years long career – a statistic that leaves all other senior artists like Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgn, Govinda or Sunny Deol trailing behind. He may not release enough movies, but Hrithik has proved that he can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with powerful three Khans – Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan – when it comes to churning out big blockbusters on yearly basis. The blockbusters released this year include Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai, Koi…Mil Gaya, Dhoom 2 and War which managed to make huge profit for the movie business!
Rank 5 – Shah Rukh Khan, Raj Kapoor and Dharmendra
Though it’s hard to pick just one winner between these two men, Dharmendra at number five has a surprising performance with five of the top ten highest grossing movies this year. With such crowd-pleasers as Pather Ke Phool, Ankhen, Seeta Aur Geeta, Sholay and Hukumat; Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (one of India’s most iconic love stories), Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Devdas (also one of India’s most iconic love stories), Veer Zara and Om Shanti Om leading the pack – it looks like Shah Rukh Khan will have quite the tough competition over who takes home gold. There is still plenty gas in the tank for both stars when compared to each other- but who knows which one will ultimately come out on top?
There are many misconceptions about who India’s favorite celebrity is; but there can only be one correct answer. Both veteran actress Sridevi or newcomer Swara Bhaskar? When you look at the evidence however it is undeniable that everyone knows ‘Baadshah’ SRK as India’s most celebrated actor in Bollywood cinema both before and after Independence. With 25 Worldwide grossers to his credit, ‘King Khan’ sees himself surpassing Balraj Kumar (13) and Raj Kapoor (16). As a director Rakesh Roshan (Harendra 6) has done more than prolific work for himself with three of those films he directed finishing in the top 10 list of Worldwide Grossers for all time!
Rank 4 – Amitabh Bachchan
It comes as a surprise to many fans when they discover that Amitabh Bachchan is only sixth on the list for total films made so far in his career. However, senior Bachchan has earned this lead through decades of successful films and achieving one premiere after another despite always having only few days until another one came out. Amitabh has often managed to make more money than the other major stars even though theirs release much earlier–these six top-grossing films included Roti Kapda Aur Makaan, Sholay, Amar Akbar Anthony, Muqqadar Ka Sikander, Suhaag and Coolie which can also be found at position four. It would appear futile to fight how much we love him here or question where he ranked in comparison just because of random star power; however you will find Bachchan missing behind Dharmendra and Salman Khan when it comes down to the statistics.
Rank 3 – Aamir Khan
Aamir Khan’s movies are much-desired around the country, and not surprisingly at least 7 of them make up some of India’s highest grossing movies of all time – including Raja Hindustani, Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge, Ghajini, 3 Idiots, PK, Dhoom 3 and Dangal. Even though he has been in this industry for over 30 years now, there still seems to be so much about him that remains unknown. While he is relatively new to the top movie actors list here (despite starring alongside stalwarts Amitabh Bachchan and Naseeruddin Shah), his talent simply outshines anything else we’ve seen coming out of Bollywood lately. And while I’m hardly unbiased because he happens to star in my favorite movies – after watching one too many terrible ones these days it makes me appreciate him even more than before.
Rank 2 – Dilip Kumar
The icon of Bollywood, Diliy Kumar rose to fame for his excellent performance and well-selected scripts. Digging through the archives reveals that the leading movie star has given nine box office hit films this year so far with only 65 Hindi films under his belt. His three most successful films of this year are Jugnu, Shaheed, and Aan. These top blockbuster successes stand as a part of Diliy’s legacy for over three decades, until someone else comes along and changes everything overnight.
Rank 1 – Salman Khan
Proving to be a monumental figure in every way – Salman Kahn always manages to stay firmly rooted with his fans. No matter what happens, they would always stand behind him and love everything he does- even if it’s something small. This unbeatable support spans over 30 years now!
Over ten of his movies have grossed the most in India during their run- but not just because Salman himself had starred in them; no one knew how good he was until those box office numbers started rolling in! Surprisingly enough, only when we looked back on things did we realize how well-known these titles were; luckily for him though, he never got caught up talking about himself! With some fuel left from that decade long success streak – there might just be another one (or maybe two) of those 10 highest grossers waiting for us…even more impressively than ever before!
From what can be seen, Ajay Devgan’s film Tanhaai earned him this title- along with Akshay Kumar who still hasn’t released his highest grossing picture of the year. Rajesh Khanna has two films that were the top earners- one being Aaradhana and another being Haathi Mere Saathi. And Sunny Deol also has two titles that he holds for this record- one being Border, and the other Gadar.
