The Most Popular Bollywood Stars
The Most Popular Bollywood Stars Bollywood stars are a big draw on the silver screen for their good looks, action-packed movies and edge-of-your-seat drama. But it’s their characters that keep audiences coming back for more.
Ranbir Kapoor is a favourite among fans after starring in the heartwarming Barfi and raunchy Lust Stories (stream on Netflix).
Abhay Deol is a quiet performer who lets his performances do the talking. He is a member of the famous Deol family and has done some blockbusters.
Shah Rukh Khan
Shah Rukh Khan, also known by his mononym SRK, is an Indian actor who works predominantly in Hindi cinema. He has starred in over 70 films to date, and has won multiple awards throughout his career, including two National Film Awards and 14 Filmfare Awards. He has also been a magazine model, host and television personality.
He is considered one of the most popular Bollywood stars worldwide. He is a self-made man who has achieved success in his career by working hard and putting in all the efforts required to achieve his goals. He is respectful of elders and loves family – most of his movies are wholesome family entertainers.
Shah Rukh Khan is gearing up for a massive return to the silver screen with Brahmastra, the much-anticipated sequel to Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. He is also expected to star alongside his daughter Suhana in Zoya Akhtar’s next directorial venture. This is a big move for the superstar, and fans are extremely excited to see what he has in store for them.
Salman Khan
Along with Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan (no relation), Salman Khan has dominated Bollywood for two decades. He is also a producer and philanthropist, and heads the Being Human foundation. The actor is known for his charisma and iconic dialogues in movies like Wanted, Dabangg, Bodyguard, and Kick.
The son of screenwriter Salim Khan, he began his career with the 1988 romance Maine Pyar Kiya. He has since appeared in more than 80 films and gone from a slender newcomer to a buff action film star. His movies are often the highest-grossing at the box office. His mere presence can send audiences into a frenzy.
While he’s known for his action movies, Salman has also shown off his acting chops in roles such as an alcoholic in Devdas, a terminally ill patient in Kal Ho Naa Ho, a NASA scientist in Swades, and a terrorist in Kurbaan. He also starred in critically acclaimed dramas like Tere Naam and Baazigar. In addition to acting, he has sung in many of his films.
Amitabh Bachchan
Bollywood is home to many charismatic actors who capture the hearts of audiences. But which ones rank among the most popular? This site taps into crowdsourced audience opinion to see which stars are the most beloved. As votes are collected, the rankings dynamically change.
Amitabh Bachchan is a legendary Indian actor known for his distinctive voice and towering presence on screen. He is also an accomplished producer and entrepreneur.
Bachchan rose to stardom in 1973 with Zanjeer (The Chain) co-starring his future wife Jaya Bhaduri. He later went on to star in a variety of film genres. Two films in particular, Deewar and Sholay, are considered important in Hindi cinema history. The former portrayed an angry young man persona expressing frustration at India’s political ineptitude and corruption while the latter captured the zeitgeist of millennial India’s embracing of neo-liberalism.
In 2000, he became one of the most-popular TV personalities in India by hosting Kaun Banega Crorepati (India’s version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire). He returned to acting with several more critically and commercially successful movies, including Karan Johars Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, Ravi Chopras Baghban and Sanjay Leela Bhansalis Black.
Priyanka Chopra
Priyanka Chopra was the first Indian woman to win the Miss World pageant back in 2000. She has been a leading actress in Bollywood and Hollywood, and is one of the most popular celebrities worldwide. She is also a singer and an entrepreneur, and she supports various social causes and is a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.
After starring in several Bollywood movies, she made her debut in Hollywood with the television espionage drama Quantico in 2015, and became one of the most popular actresses in the country. She has since starred in more Hollywood films, including Baywatch and Isn’t It Romantic? She is currently promoting her upcoming Bollywood movie The Bluff, and she has a few Hollywood projects in the works, including an action movie with John Cena and Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Citadel.
Priyanka Chopra is a global icon, and her success in both Bollywood and Hollywood is rare for an Indian actor. She is a philanthropist and an accomplished businesswoman, and she uses her popularity to promote India’s culture and break stereotypes.
Akshay Kumar
The star who once was ridiculed for his action films has embraced the hard work of film-making and infused his characters with gravitas. Known as the Khiladi, Kumar is the only actor to have delivered three consecutive 200 Crore Club movies with Housefull 4, Good Newwz and Kesari. He also hosted Khatron Ke Khiladi and has appeared in many comedy movies such as Namastey London, Hera Pheri, Singh Is Kinng, Bhool Bhulaiya and Airlift.
Kumar averages about four releases a year, including a lighthearted comedy and two action thrillers, to sustain his pan-India appeal. He has a knack for finding the right scripts and has been an ambassador of several national and international brands.
The star is the only male actor to make it to the top five of the Ormax list of most popular Bollywood stars outside India. He owes his cult status to his wife Twinkle Khanna, who is an author and newspaper columnist. Though he denies it, speculation is rife that Kumar may take his king-sized popularity into politics in the future.
Deepika Padukone
Deepika Padukone is one of the most popular Bollywood stars and a global icon. She has won numerous awards for her acting skills and beauty, and has dedicated herself to mental health awareness. In 2019 Grazia India named her Millennial of the Year, and Time magazine profiled her as “one of the most powerful women in the world.”
Padukone made her debut with the 2006 Kannada film Aishwarya and later entered Bollywood with Farah Khan’s Om Shanti Om. She went on to star in blockbuster movies such as the romances Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani and Chennai Express, and Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s period dramas Bajirao Mastani and Padmaavat. She also starred in the heist comedy Happy New Year and the headstrong daughter in Piku, winning two Filmfare Awards.
She will next be seen in action films Fighter and Kalki 2898 AD, as well as Singham Again with Amitabh Bachchan and Prabhas. In addition to her work as an actress, Padukone is a philanthropist and founder of the Live Love Laugh Foundation, which strives to break the stigma surrounding mental illness.
Sonam Kapoor
Sonam Kapoor is a highly regarded actress who carries her role in movies very seriously. From Neerja to Prem Ratan Dhan Payo and Padman, the actor has portrayed some impactful roles which have impressed audiences as well as critics.
The daughter of actor Anil Kapoor, Sonam first made her debut as an assistant director on the film Black (2005) before making her official acting debut in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s romantic drama Saawariya (2007). Sonam went on to act in critically acclaimed films such as Raanjhanaa and Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, and worked with the biggest directors of Bollywood including Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Ram Madhvani, Aanand L Rai, and Rajkummar Hirani.
In 2019, the actress starred in the coming-of-age film Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga, which broke stereotypes about same-sex relationships in India and received positive reviews from critics. Later, she acted in the black comedy thriller AK vs AK alongside Dulquer Salmaan which garnered mixed responses from the audience and critics. The actress is set to come back this year with sister Rhea’s Veere Di Wedding and Sanjay Dutt biopic helmed by Rajkumar Hirani.
Alia Bhatt
The daughter of directors Mahesh Bhatt and Soni Razdan, Alia Bhatt is one of Bollywood’s most popular actresses. Her sister Shaheen and half-sister Pooja are both actresses, and she is related to several other prominent figures in the industry. She debuted as a lead actress in 2012 with Karan Johar’s teen film Student of the Year, alongside Sidharth Malhotra and Varun Dhawan.
After receiving critical acclaim for her work in the road drama Highway (2014), Bhatt took on more challenging roles. Her performance as an abducted girl with Stockholm syndrome in the 2016 drama Udta Punjab won her critical praise, with critics noting that she had “the uncanny ability to emote without overdoing it.”
She continued to establish herself as a leading actress with romantic films such as 2 States and Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania (both 2014), which were both adaptations of Chetan Bhagat novels. For the period drama Kalank (2019), Bhatt watched the films Mughal-e-Azam and Umrao Jaan to research body language, and she learned Urdu for her character.
