This is the second time in a row when the combined brand value of top 25 Indian celebrities has slipped.
Maryam Farooqui
August 05, 2026 / 13:39 IST
Shah Rukh Khan
Two blockbusters, a growing endorsement portfolio and the most valuable celebrity tag – this is how Bollywood’s badshah has made a king-size comeback in the brand world.
The Bollywood superstar’s endorsement portfolio expanded to 36 brands in 2025 while commanding around Rs 10 crore per deal, overtaking Virat Kohli and Ranveer Singh.
According to Kroll’s Celebrity Brand Valuation 2025 report, Shah Rukh Khan’s brand value stood at $177.9 million, placing him ahead of Ranveer Singh ($162.9 million) and Virat Kohli ($158.4 million).
Kroll’s Managing Director, Valuation Advisory Services, Umakanta Panigrahi, attributed Shah Rukh Khan’s rise to a multi-year commercial comeback following the success of his 2023 film slate that included big releases like Pathaan and Jawan, both with a box office of over Rs 1,000 crore worldwide.
SRK jumped up two ranks from third in the list in 2024 to the top spot last year, with his brand value growth remaining consistent at around 21-22%.
In 2024, Khan retained the third spot with a total brand value increasing by 21 percent to $145.7 million.
While SRK’s endorsement fee has largely remained steady, his endorsement portfolio has expanded sharply from 28 brands in 2024 to 36 in 2025, Panigrahi noted.
“Advertisers continue to view Shah Rukh Khan as one of the country’s strongest audience magnets, pointing to his industry-leading advertising visibility across television and his ability to connect with audiences across generations. The superstar’s upcoming film pipeline has also strengthened his commercial appeal, he told Moneycontrol.
One of SRK’s biggest ventures, King, is set to release in December this year, with the star making a comeback to the big screen after three years, following an eventful calendar of three releases in 2023, including Dunki.
But SRK’s rise comes at a time when the combined value of the top 25 celebrity brands has slipped for the second time in a row.
The overall valuation of the top 25 celebrities is estimated at $2 billion, down 3.7% year-on-year. A year before that, too, brand value growth among the top 25 stars had eased as the growth slipped to around 5 percent in 2024 from a 15.5 percent growth in 2023.
According to Panigrahi, three key factors led to the decline in the cumulative valuation of the top 25 celebrities.
First, three new entrants joined the rankings with comparatively lower brand values.
The debut stars in the top 25 most valued celebrity list include Samantha Ruth Prabhu at $43.1 million, Janhvi Kapoor at $34.2 million, and Shraddha Kapoor’s brand value stood at $31 million in 2025.
Second, both Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma witnessed a sharp decline in brand value, not because of any erosion in reputation but due to lower media visibility and fewer endorsement deals during the year. Kohli’s brand value plummeted by over $70 million, pushing him from the top spot last year to third this year.
The cricket star’s ranking dropped to third from one and brand value slipped to $158.4 million in 2025 from $231.1 million in 2024, the year when his brand grew by close to 2 percent from $227.9 million in 2023.
Even for the second most valued Indian celebrity, the script has not been a blockbuster.
Ranveer Singh retained the second position with a brand value of $162.9 million, supported by the success of Dhurandhar. However, his brand value has dropped two years in a row, continuing from $170.7 million in 2024 and $203.1 million previously.
According to Panigrahi, while Ranveer’s active brand associations declined from 45 to 38, his endorsement fee increased to nearly Rs 8 crore, allowing him to maintain his position among India’s most valuable celebrity brands.
Finally, the depreciation of the rupee had a marginal impact since Kroll values celebrities in US dollars while endorsement contracts are largely denominated in rupees.
Among women celebrities, Alia Bhatt and Deepika Padukone continued to dominate with brand values of $93.9 million and $89.2 million, respectively.
Kroll’s rankings also underscore the growing commercial clout of younger actresses, with women now accounting for nearly half of the top 25 celebrity brands.
Panigrahi said stars such as Ananya Panday, Janhvi Kapoor and Rashmika Mandanna are increasingly being rewarded for audience engagement rather than box-office performance alone. Ananya, for instance, has significantly expanded her endorsement roster despite not having a major theatrical blockbuster, while Rashmika’s transition from a regional star to a pan-India celebrity helped lift her ranking from 15th to 12th as her brand partnerships grew from 32 to 42.
He added that advertisers are increasingly measuring fan engagement rather than merely counting followers. Categories such as personal care and beauty, where female celebrities account for nearly 60% of endorsements, are also driving this shift.
Cricket continued to dominate the sports endorsement landscape, with Virat Kohli, Sachin Tendulkar, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah featuring prominently in the rankings. However, following India’s strong performance at the Commonwealth Games, he expects non-cricket athletes to receive greater endorsement interest over the next six to twelve months.
Panigrahi also highlighted the growing importance of digital campaigns in celebrity marketing. By 2025, digital endorsements accounted for nearly 60-75% of brand associations for several leading celebrities, up significantly from earlier years.
He believes brands are increasingly adopting a “hub-and-spoke” approach, using marquee celebrities for mass awareness while deploying niche influencers to engage specific audiences.
While influencers are expected to command a larger share of marketing budgets, he said they will complement rather than replace mainstream celebrities, with brands relying on both to maximise reach and relevance.
Maryam Farooqui is Senior Correspondent at Moneycontrol covering media and entertainment, travel and hospitality. She has 11 years of experience in reporting.
first published: Aug 5, 2026 01:39 pm
Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
Watch
Trending news
Started with Rs 15,000 internship, man lands Rs 25 LPA Singapore job in just 2.5 years. Here’s how
- Founder, 24, reveals how a Rs 100 YouTube message helped him build Rs 8 crore business
- ‘We’re in great financial loss’: Boy takes father’s phone for studies, spends more than Rs 42,000 on games
- Feeling tired? Live close to nature, says Zoho co-founder Sridhar Vembu
- 400 customers daily, saves 70% income: Man reveals how roadside bread pakoda seller earns Rs 30 lakh a year
- Lock Upp 2 winner: Shreya Kalra lifts the trophy, takes home Rs 1 crore cash prize on grand finale
- Ravi Kishan’s lavish 8,000-Sq-Ft Mumbai home has a green terrace, gym and peaceful Puja space
- ‘Rs 1.6 lakh salary, Rs 1.85 lakh EMI’: IT professional claims Rs 60 lakh debt from stock market trading losses, seeks advice from internet
- Meet the 12-year-old who turned footsteps into electricity and became a 2026 3M young scientist finalist
- Apple iPhone 16 price drops to Rs 40,612 with bank offers and exchange
- Apple iPhone 17 Pro price in India drops below Rs 1 lakh
- Why is your sabudana khichdi sticky? Fix this 1 common soaking mistake
- 6 books that will change the way you think and see the world
- Who is Umit? Kazakhstan’s first wild tiger released after nearly 70 years—but why so late?
- Quote of the Day by Jim Rogers: “Never act upon wishful thinking. Act without checking the facts, and chances are that you will be…” – Offers timeless lessons on critical thinking, financial wisdom and independent decision-making
`);
}
if(res.stay_updated){
$(“.stay-updated-ajax”).html(res.stay_updated);
}
}catch(e){ console.log(e); }
});
},2000); // Reduced from 8s to 2s for better Core Web Vitals (LCP/UX)
});
