Virat Kohli has retained his title as India’s most powerful celebrity brand, topping Kroll’s Celebrity Brand Valuation 2024 list with a brand value of $231.1 million.
This marks yet another year of dominance for the cricketing icon, who has consistently leveraged his unmatched influence among fans and brands alike.
According to the Kroll report, the combined brand value of India’s top 25 celebrities has hit the $2 billion mark, up 8.6% from last year.
It comes as no surprise that the only sports celebrities on the Kroll listing are cricketers. After Kohli, it is legend Sachin Tendulkar who makes the top five, rising from eighth last year to fifth at $112.2m, boosted by a spurt in endorsements in 2024. Mr Dependable MS Dhoni remains in the 7th spot at $102.9m, while Rohit Sharma is up a spot from 18 to 17 at $48.4m.
Rounding of the cricketing entries in the Top 25 are all rounder Hardik Pandya at $43.1m, down a spot from 19 in 2023 to 20 in 2024, and Jasprit Bumrah. India’s fast bowling spearhead has telescoped from 41 to 22 in the rankings at $38.1m.
On the Top Ten, from the film industry sits Ranveer Singh, who retained the second spot with a brand value of $170.7m, though his overall value saw a decline from the previous year. Shah Rukh Khan held steady at third place with his brand value rising by around 21% to $145.7m.
Alia Bhatt continuing her upward trajectory, climbed to the fourth position at $116.4m. Akshay Kumar stood at 6th with $108m, Deepika Padukone in joint 7th with Dhoni, at $102.9m, Hrithik Roshan at 9th, $92.2 million, and Amitabh Bachchan rounding off the 10th spot at $83.7m.
Commenting on the findings, Kroll Valuation Advisory Services managing director Umakanta Panigrahi said: “In 2024, we witnessed that the future of Indian cinema lies in synergy. OTT content and theatres complement each other. Audiences can now have the best of both worlds: grand theatrical experiences and intimate storytelling at home. As the industry continues to adapt this hybrid model, it could very well become its strongest era yet. Finally, following a stagnant phase in the cinema business, re-releases have put film theatres back on the map. Cinemas have re-established their position as strong competitors, proving that nothing can replace the feeling of watching a film in a theatre.”
