There’s always chatter around who’s ruling the box office… the Khans, the South superstars, the new-gen names. But if you go purely by numbers, one actor has quietly built a lead that’s honestly hard to ignore.
It all goes back to when Rs 100 crore first became the benchmark. That shift happened with Ghajini, led by Aamir Khan, which was the first film to hit that mark in India. Since then, the club has only grown bigger, with nearly 150 films joining in. Plenty of stars have multiple entries but one has gone way ahead of the pack.
With Bhooth Bangla crossing ₹100 crore, Akshay Kumar has now hit a total of 20 films in the club. That’s the highest for any lead actor. Right behind him is Salman Khan with 18.
What’s interesting is when these hits have come. Six of Akshay’s 20 films have released after the pandemic, a time when theatre footfalls have been unpredictable. And this comes right after a rough patch where films like Samrat Prithviraj, Ram Setu, Bachchhan Paandey, and Raksha Bandhan didn’t quite land at the box office. Now, with Bhooth Bangla, along with Housefull 5 and Kesari 2, things seem to be back on track for him.
Here’s how the leaderboard looks right now:
Akshay Kumar – 20 films
Salman Khan – 18 films
Ajay Devgn – 16 films
Shah Rukh Khan – 10 films
Ranveer Singh – 9 films
Hrithik Roshan – 8 films
Rajinikanth – 8 films
Vijay – 8 films
Prabhas – 7 films
Aamir Khan – 7 films
Ranbir Kapoor – 7 films
So how did Akshay pull this off? A big part of it is just volume. Between 2007 and 2019, he was everywhere, often doing three to four films a year. Compare that to someone like Shah Rukh or Salman, who usually did one or two films annually, and you can see how the numbers stacked up over time. Aamir, of course, was even more selective.
Another factor: budgets. Akshay’s films were often controlled in terms of cost, which made it easier to churn out more projects without long gaps. More films, more chances and eventually, more ₹100 crore hits.
Meanwhile, the competition is still very much alive. Ranveer Singh has climbed up thanks to the Dhurandhar films, while stars like Rajinikanth, Vijay, and Prabhas continue to hold strong positions.
And Akshay isn’t slowing down anytime soon. With films like Haiwaan, Welcome to the Jungle, and a third Hera Pheri in the pipeline, don’t be surprised if that number goes even higher from here.
