May 25, 2026 1:56pm IST
The ₹500 Crore Club: Indian Cinema’s Elites
From the first ₹100 crore Hindi film in 2008 (“Ghajini”) to the first ₹1000-crore one (“Dhurandhar: The Revenge,"), the Indian box-office has witnessed a dramatic rise. For big-scale, star-driven entertainers, the ₹500 crore milestone has become the new benchmark of blockbuster success, with many films that earn ₹200–300 crore often being labelled “underperformers”.
However, the “₹500 crore club” still remains highly exclusive, with only a handful of Indian films managing to achieve the milestone. Only 13 so far have crossed the benchmark at the Indian box-office, with three films — Pushpa 2: The Rule, “Dhurandhar 2: The Revenge” and “Baahubali 2: The Conclusion” — even breaching the historic ₹1000 crore (net) barrier.
Here's looking at the Indian movie stars who have delivered ₹500 crore grossers and cemented their place among the country’s biggest box-office forces.
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Shah Rukh Khan
When SRK returned to theatres after a four-year hiatus in 2023, audiences didn't just welcome him but crowned him as the “King of Box Office”. He had three back-to-back releases, all collectively earning over ₹1400 crore in India and more than ₹2600 crore gross worldwide in the same year. Although “Dunki” performed moderately compared to expectations, both Siddharth Anand's “Pathaan” and Atlee's “Jawan” filled theatres for weeks, collecting ₹543.09 crore and ₹640.25 crore net, respectively. These films placed SRK ahead of his contemporaries Salman and Aamir Khan, who are yet to enter the ₹500-crore club. With “King” slated to release this Christmas weekend, SRK would be hoping to continue his box-office dominance with another massive blockbuster.
Ranveer Singh
He's the newest entrant to the club and the fastest one yet. Also, he is the only Hindi actor to have a ₹1000 crore film to his credit. With Aditya Dhar's “Dhurandhar” franchise, Ranveer has achieved a success anyone would be jealous of. “Dhurandhar” went past ₹500 crore in just 15 days, while the sequel achieved the feat in a record five days, breaking each and every record left right and centre.
Both the “Dhurandhar” films have emerged as the biggest-ever grossers of Hindi cinema — “Dhurandhar 2: The Revenge” is on top with ₹1100 crore in India and nearly ₹1800 crore worldwide, followed by “Dhurandhar” in second position with ₹840 crore net in India and ₹1300 crore gross globally. The franchise has firmly established Ranveer among the country’s biggest commercial stars.
Prabhas
Although his last film, “The Raja Saab", badly flopped, he remains a box-office darling. With SS Rajamouli's “Baahubali 2: The Conclusion” (₹1030.42 crore) and Nag Ashwin's “Kalki 2898 AD” (₹646.31 crore), Prabhas is the only South Indian actor to headline two ₹500 crore grossers. With the actor collaborating with Sandeep Reddy Vanga, next who has previously delivered the blockbuster “Animal” with Ranbir Kapoor, Prabhas is expected to build on his box-office mojo.
Allu Arjun
The Telugu superstar set the box office records ablaze with Sukumar's “Pushpa 2: The Rule” (₹1234.10 cr) in 2024. Allu's swagger, dialogue delivery, and instantly recognizable mannerisms turned the film into a pop-culture phenomenon and a box office monster. The film’s success highlighted how Telugu cinema’s mass storytelling has become nationally dominant. “Pushpa 2” elevated Allu Arjun into the league of India’s biggest theatrical stars and further expanded his reach far beyond the Telugu-speaking audience. He's now aiming even higher with his next film with Atlee, titled 'Raaka”.
Rashmika Mandanna
An Indian actress with three ₹500-crore grossers, Rashmika has become one of the very few actresses who have expanded across industries with such a high success rate. Sandeep Reddy Vanga's “Animal” (₹553.87 cr) showcased her in a dark, emotionally charged drama, while Sukumar's “Pushpa 2” (₹1234.10 cr) reinforced her mainstream popularity. Laxman Utekar's “Chhaava” (₹601.54 cr) added another massive success to her growing commercial resume. Rashmika is gradually becoming a defining female star of this generation.
Deepika Padukone
Whether in action spectacles, sci-fi epics, or spy thrillers, Deepika has repeatedly been part of gigantic theatrical successes. In box office charts, she's no less successful than her husband Ranveer Singh, as the actress has two ₹500 crore grossers to her credit, excluding Atlee's “Jawan” (₹640.25 cr) in which she played an extended cameo. With Siddharth Anand's “Pathaan” (₹543.09 cr) and Nag Ashwin's “Kalki 2898 AD” (₹646.31 cr), she has firmly placed herself among the most commercially successful actresses in Indian cinema. Coming up ahead is “King” with SRK, which is also projected to hit bullseyes at the ticket windows.
Yash
Yash became a nationwide sensation with Prashanth Neel's “KGF Chapter 2”, which collected a massive ₹859 crore net at the Indian box office. The action entertainer wasn’t merely successful; it transformed Kannada cinema’s position in the national market. Overnight, Yash became one of India's biggest action stars, and it would now be interesting to see if he repeats the same success with his much-awaited upcoming actioner, “Toxic”.
Ranbir Kapoor
Ranbir entered the ₹500 crore club even before his competitor Ranveer Singh achieved the feat and might well go over ₹1000 crore with his upcoming, most-anticipated Nitesh Tiwari-directed “Ramayana Part 1”, set to release this Diwali weekend. The actor surprised audiences with a dark, violent, and emotionally volatile character in Sandeep Reddy Vanga's “Animal” that triggered massive conversation nationwide and went on to collect ₹553.87 crore net at the Indian box office.
Vicky Kaushal
Vicky spent years building a reputation as one of Bollywood’s strongest performers, and with Laxman Utekar's “Chhaava” (₹601.54 cr), he added massive box office power to his resume. Vicky as Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj was widely accepted among audiences, especially in Maharashtra, with people hailing his power-packed performance. He successfully entered into the big league with this film and is now expected to keep the momentum with his next, Sanjay Leela Bhansali's “Love & War,” which releases during the Republic Day weekend next year.
Anushka Shetty
Anushka played one of the most memorable characters in modern Indian cinema in SS Rajamouli's “Baahubali” saga. Her commanding screen presence and emotional gravitas became integral to the franchise’s appeal. Although her recent films haven't seen much success, “Baahubali 2: The Conclusion” (₹1030.42 cr) remains her career's biggest success.
Ram Charan & Jr. NTR
SS Rajamouli’s “RRR” (₹782.20 cr) became a worldwide sensation, placing its two leads — Ram Charan and Jr. NTR — in the top league. Ram Charan brought intensity and restraint, while Jr. NTR delivered emotional depth and explosive charisma. Together, they powered one of Indian cinema’s biggest global breakthroughs.
However, despite the massive global success of “RRR”, both Jr. NTR and Ram Charan have failed to repeat the same level of success with their subsequent releases. Jr. NTR had “Devara” and “War 2”, while Ram Charan had “Game Changer", failing to make much mark at the box-office. They are hoping to reclaim the position with their next releases, “Dragon” and “Peddi,” respectively.
Sunny Deol
The only 60+ year-old actor in the 500 crore club. Sunny’s return as Tara Singh in Anil Sharma's “Gadar 2” (₹525.70 cr) became a nostalgia-fuelled cultural event, especially in North India. The film demonstrated the enduring power of legacy stars and old-school mass entertainers. The blockbuster success of “Gadar 2” was unexpected, but what it proved was that theatrical cinema still thrives when audiences feel emotionally connected to iconic characters.
Deol tried to cash in on the sequel factor with Anurag Singh's “Border 2,” which also performed quite well at the box-office but failed to recreate the euphoria of “Gadar 2”.
Shraddha Kapoor & Rajkummar Rao
The success of Amar Kaushik's “Stree 2” was a major milestone for the horror-comedy genre in India. The Shraddha Kapoor and Rajkummar Rao starrer defied all the expectations and emerged as one of the country’s biggest box-office successes, collecting approx. ₹597.99 cr at the domestic box-office. The film’s triumph showed that audiences are hungry for genre cinema beyond conventional action spectacle. It also became Shraddha's and Rajkummar's biggest successes.
Rishab Shetty
Rishab Shetty’s rise is one of the most fascinating stories in modern Indian cinema. Unlike mega-budget spectacles, “Kantara” succeeded because of rooted storytelling, folklore, spirituality, and raw emotional energy. The film's sequel “Kantara: A Legend - Chapter 1” collected ₹622.48 crore, emerging as the biggest film in the Kannada cinema. It proved that authenticity can sometimes outperform scale. Its phenomenal success also showed how audiences are increasingly embracing regional stories with universal themes.
Nayanthara
Already a dominant force in Tamil cinema, Nayanthara expanded her national visibility dramatically with Atlee's “Jawan” (₹640.25 cr). Her pairing with Shah Rukh Khan and her commanding role in the action drama introduced her to a much wider Hindi-speaking audience. The film also entered her in the ₹500 crore club and remains the biggest grosser of her career.
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