- Ranveer Singh is now India’s highest-paid actor.
- His earnings came from the Dhurandhar franchise.
- The films grossed about $372 million worldwide.
- Ranveer reportedly earned around $38 million.
- He surpassed Rajinikanth, Shah Rukh Khan, and Allu Arjun.
It was not long ago that a paycheck of about $1.2 million for an actor was considered extraordinary in India. In the 1990s, Chiranjeevi, Kamal Haasan, and Sridevi became the first Indian stars to earn roughly $120,000 per movie.
Over the following decade, Bollywood’s Khans rose to the top of the industry and pushed actor salaries to new heights. As Indian films grew larger in scale over the last decade, regional stars once again dominated the earnings charts. Actors such as Rajinikanth, Yash, and Allu Arjun routinely commanded more than $23 million per film.
Now, in 2026, a Bollywood actor has reclaimed the top spot. And it is not one of the Khans.
Ranveer Singh has become the highest-paid actor in India following the huge success of the Dhurandhar franchise. The actor starred in the highly successful two-part film series, which was originally planned as a single movie.
Together, the two Dhurandhar films earned approximately $372 million worldwide. Of that total, about $221 million came from India alone.
Reports say Ranveer chose not to take his usual upfront fee. Instead, he agreed to a profit-sharing arrangement. He also invested his own money into the production when costs exceeded the original budget. That decision increased his share of the profits from both films.
According to trade estimates, after accounting for distribution revenue, theatrical bonuses, and income from digital, satellite, and music rights, Ranveer’s share reached about $38 million.
The largest portion of the franchise’s overall profits went to Jio Studios, followed by Aditya Dhar’s B62 Studios. However, Ranveer’s earnings were the highest among the cast. They also represent the biggest payday ever received by an Indian actor for a single production.n
Before Ranveer crossed the $35 million mark, the record belonged to south Indian superstar Rajinikanth. He reportedly earned more than $29 million from the 2024 blockbuster Jailer.
Both Allu Arjun and Prabhas are also believed to have earned more than $23 million each from their recent hits, Pushpa 2 and Kalki 2898 AD.
In Bollywood, the previous record holder was Shah Rukh Khan. In 2023, the superstar reportedly earned around $23 million each for Pathaan and Jawan, two of the biggest hits of his career.
Before that, Aamir Khan and Salman Khan held the record at different times throughout much of the 2010s.
With the success of Dhurandhar, Ranveer Singh has now moved ahead of them all.
