NEW DELHI: Celebrity talent is yielding massive results. India’s 25 top celebrities, which include Bollywood stars and sportsmen, amassed a collective brand value of $2 billion in 2025, with superstar Shah Rukh Khan topping the list, according to Kroll, a global financial and risk advisory solutions firm.Overall, the brand value declined by nearly 4% over the previous year.The rankings are based on brand values derived from celebrity endorsement portfolios and relative social media presence.Bollywood superstar, Shah Rukh Khan jumped to the top spot in 2025 with a brand value of nearly $178 million, reaffirming his unmatched influence among Indian celebrities.Ranveer Singh retained the No 2 position, with a brand value of $162.9 million, while cricket icon, Virat Kohli moved to the third position with a brand value of $158.4 million. Last year, Kohli had led the list.Sachin Tendulkar and Mahendra Singh Dhoni occupied the fourth and fifth positions respectively. Umakanta Panigrahi, managing director, Valuation Advisory Services, Kroll, said, “The 2025 rankings reflect how celebrity brand value is being shaped by a combination of traditional endorsement strength, digital relevance, social media engagement and emerging AI-led opportunities. While established names continue to command significant brand equity, digital-first engagement and new monetization models, including entrepreneurial ventures, are increasingly influencing the next wave of celebrity brands. As these drivers of influence become more diverse, measuring celebrity brand value requires increasingly sophisticated approaches that capture both commercial impact and digital relevance.”Elaborating on the decline in overall brand value, Kroll said the inclusion of new Bollywood personalities such as Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Janhvi Kapoor, and Shraddha Kapoor has influenced the aggregate valuation. Since these celebrities entered the ranking with relatively lower brand value bases, the overall cumulative brand value experienced some moderation.Furthermore, celebrities such as Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma have consciously reduced their participation in traditional media and promotional activities. While endorsement fee levels have largely remained stable, the number of endorsements associated with these high-ranking celebrities has declined, leading to a reduction in their overall brand values and, consequently, impacting the cumulative value of the Top 25 list’’.India’s celebrity endorsement landscape continues to evolve, with legacy icons like Shah Rukh Khan, MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli retaining strong brand equity, while emerging talent and digital-first personalities are rapidly gaining ground as brands prioritize relatability, cultural relevance and audience engagement, Vinit Karnik, Business Head, GroupM ESP, said. “We expect an acceleration in the trend of celebrities launching and scaling their own brands. Cricket stars will continue to dominate the endorsement space, supported by their unparalleled reach, engagement and recall among Indian audiences’’.
