Salman Khan tops Forbes India Celebrity 100 list again

Superstar Salman Khan has maintained his hold on the top spot in the Forbes India Celebrity 100 list for the second consecutive year.

Shah Rukh Khan and India's cricket captain Virat Kohli took second and third spot, respectively, with actress Priyanka Chopra named as the only female celebrity in the top 10 list.

The 2017 Forbes India Celebrity 100 rankings are based on estimates of entertainment-related earnings of celebrities. The period under consideration is 1 October 2016 to 30 September 2017.

The methodology for calculating the ranking may have changed this year (to exclude the 'fame' quotient), but the list's top three names have remained constant.

The 51-year-old Salman Khan grabbed the top spot despite the subdued box-office performance of his film Tubelight (2017). The actor earned Rs232.83 crore, backed by endorsements of several consumer brands. In fact, his earnings constitute 8.67% of the total earnings — Rs2,683 crore — of the top 100 celebrities for the year.

Shah Rukh Khan, with Rs170.5 crore, also retained his position at number two, as did India's cricket captain Virat Kohli, with Rs100.72 crore, at third spot.

But though the top three held on to their ranks, their cumulative earnings declined by almost 20%, down to Rs504.05 crore compared to last year's total of Rs626.52 crore.

Joy Chakraborthy, CEO, Forbes India magazine and president, revenue, TV18, said, "We are delighted to present yet another collector's edition of Forbes India which will hit the stands soon. Over the years this list has established itself as the definitive benchmark of who is making what in the entire entertainment world.

"This year's Celebrity 100 list is based on a revised methodology focusing on the celebrities' earnings, thus reflecting in better representation and hence a well-rounded Celebrity list of 100."

The revised methodology this year, focusing only on a celebrity's earnings (compared to the previous combination of 'fame' and 'earnings'), has increased representation from the prolific South Indian film industry.

There are 13 actors from the South this year as against 11 last year. The number of Hindi film artistes is down from 35 to 33, reducing their cumulative earnings by 13% from the previous year.

Shuttler PV Sindhu (Rs57.25 crore) was the highest money gainer (in percentage terms), as her total earnings soared nearly 17 times, propelled by several brand endorsements following her Rio Olympics silver medal last year.

There is just one woman in the top 10, Priyanka Chopra (Rs68 crore), as she continues to make her mark internationally. The overall earnings of the Celebrity 100 declined this year, from Rs2,745 crore in 2016 to Rs2,683 crore.