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MEGASTARS OF INDIAN CINEMA

India has seen seven stars achieve mega stardom and two of them are Shahrukh Khan and Salman Khan.

The others being Dilip Kumar, Rajendra Kumar, Dharmendra, Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan.

There is not one name in sight from regional film industries and yet today you see names like Prabhas, Yash, Allu Arjun and others put up with there with two superstars who are not only the biggest superstars of the day but among the biggest ever.

There are many stars in the industry but it does not mean box office super stardom as this happens to very few. You can have the biggest HITS but what you do in the film has to be a craze and that makes the big difference as many actors have give huge hits over the last 100 years but only 7 are really big box office stars.

1. Dilip Kumar (1952-1964)

Blockbuster films like Aan, Azaad, Insaaniyat, Naya Daur, Madhumati, Paigham, and Kohinoor, which were more in the commercial element of those times, smashed box office records. These films created the superstar Dilip Kumar. The likes of Aan, Azaad, and Insaaniyat also set the precedent for that big-budget Hindi commercial potboiler, which was to dominate Hindi cinema for years and still does.

The peak of his career came in the early 1960s with films like Mughal-E-Azam (1960) and Ganga Jumna (1961), which created history and remain today among the biggest blockbusters of Hindi cinema. The performance in Ganga Jumna is also probably the greatest ever by an actor in India. The workload slowed after that, though the big hits still came with Ram Aur Shyam (1967) and Gopi (1970), but it was difficult now to fit into that traditional hero format due to age.

2. Rajendra Kumar (1963-1968)

3. Rajesh Khanna (1969-1974)

Ittefaq (1969) starred Rajesh Khanna in the lead and was released in early October 1969. At this time, Rajesh Khanna was virtually unknown as far as the audience was concerned. It was first released in Mumbai, Kolkata, and Jaipur, and the latter two tanked. But then, at the end of October 1969, a film named Aradhana came out, and Rajesh Khanna became a star, and this built some interest in Ittefaq. Delhi/UP was released a month after Aradhana, and other circuits were released after the historic blockbuster Do Raaste (December 1969), when Rajesh Khanna was a megastar. So basically, it was a low-budget film that was about to meet its waterloo at the box office, but as fate would have it, the male lead of the film became a megastar, and such was the craze at that time that he could pull through a low-budget Ittefaq while sleeping.

Rajesh Khanna saw the Greatest Ever Run at the box office, which lasted from October 1969 to June 1971. It was an extraordinary run because it is unlikely that 14 hits like this will be given by anybody in a span of 21 months again. It could happen again, but not in a short 21-month span. He delivered 14 hits out of 15 films, including nine blockbuster/super hit films.

Rajesh Khanna and Shahrukh Khan are probably the biggest romantic stars in history and its this genre.

Rajesh Khanna lost super stardom in late 72 to early 73 but the films with Mumtaz still worked like Roti, Aap Ki Kasam and Prem Kahani in 74-75.

4. Dharmendra (1971-1987)

One of the biggest stars ever (the biggest ever if we count the number of HITS and successful films). The big breakthrough was the huge blockbuster success of Phool Aur Patthar (1966), which was one of the biggest grossers of that decade and is probably around the 400 crore nett mark in terms of business today. It put Dharmendra among the top five stars and gave him the image of that physical macho star, which was to set the box office fire in the 70's.

The late sixties saw many huge hits like Aankhen (1968), Shikar (1968), and Aaya Sawan Jhoom Ke (1969), but they did not capitalize on the image that Phool Aur Patthar gave. The rubber stamping of the image came with Mera Gaon Mera Desh in 1971, which was a bigger blockbuster than Phool Aur Pathar. This film also changed the direction of Hindi cinema, as prior to Mera Gaon Mera Desh, the big films were mainly romantic dramas shot in the Kashmir valleys with super-hit music. The mega success of this film made the industry shift to action.

The peak of Dharmendra came in the mid-70s with films like Sholay (1975), Pratiggya (1975), and Dharam Veer (1977). After this, the quality of films dropped, but that initial draw remained intact, driving films to succeed until the early 90's. Eventually, the career saw around 60 jubilee hits and over 100 successful films. These figures are way ahead of the rest, and it can be said with almost 100% certainty that it won't be beaten unless Akshay Kumar or Ajay Devgn (these two have a volume of films today) start giving 3–4 hits a year for the next ten years. Even if this miracle were to happen, the level of success of Dharmendra HITS is far superior, with many films having historic success. Many of these HITS are solo films, but in the 1970's there was a trend toward multistarrers, and Dharmendra worked in many of these as well. The difference here between Dharmendra and the others in the 70's was that when Dharmendra was in a two- or three-hero film, it became his film, and it could be seen by the audience that he was the main lead and the others were in supporting or lesser roles.

5. Amitabh Bachchan (1977-1992)

Many newcomers got paired with Mumtaz as distributors picked up films on her name and one of these newcomers was even future superstar Amitabh Bachchan in Bandhe Haath. Due to the super hit heroine this film fetched a higher price than Zanjeer, the film which made Amitabh Bachchan a star.

Amitabh Bachchan is the biggest star the country has seen to date.

In total there could be 30 bumper openings for Amitabh Bachchan as in the eighties and early nineties it was bumper for nearly every film be it that film eventually turned out to be a HIT or FLOP.

If we go further back and include legends and biggest stars of all time like Dharmendra, Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan then its eleven times for Dharmendra (including Tahelka and Kshatriya), four times for Rajesh Khanna and twelve times for Amitabh Bachchan (including Bade Miyan Chhote Miyan, Hindustan Ki Kasam and Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham).

6. Shahrukh Khan (1995-2017), (2023-2024*)

Shahrukh Khan had made an entry with Deewana which was a huge HIT.

Shahrukh Khan does not have many huge disasters as he became a box office force very early in his career.

Darr had the advantage of the biggest stars of the time with Sunny Deol ruling the roost and Shahrukh Khan closing in on the top spot at the time.

Padmaavat is not a Darr scenario like it was with Shahrukh Khan as the public was with Shahrukh Khan's character in these films and the sympathy went to him which made him a major star. Here the public is not with the character of Ranveer Singh as he is the villian. The last one to do extraordinary business all over was actually a Shahrukh Khan film Darr in 1993. This is probably the most successful thriller genre film in India ever.

Even Shahrukh Khan played second fiddle to Madhuri Dixit in Anjaam but Shahrukh Khan was on a crest of a wave at the time and the audience could not accept him as an outright villain and the film was rejected.

Guddu and Oh Darling Yeh Hai India were taken on before he became a major star with Baazigar and Darr.

In 1995 Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge came and created another huge box office Megastar. Action has dominated the box office since the release of Mera Gaon Mera Desh in June 1971 till today and in those 50 years only Shahrukh Khan managed to create a huge fan following without an action image.

The mega stardom will never come from a biopic though as the actor is unable to leave his stamp on the character like a Shahrukh Khan did in DDLJ or Salman Khan in Dabangg.

Veer Zaara became a super hit due to its medium budget, but it had the projection of a Diwali blockbuster, probably because of the presence of Shahrukh Khan and the huge initial in India and overseas. Record Initial Worldwide without much commercial elements.

Rajesh Khanna and Shahrukh Khan are probably the biggest romantic stars in history and its this genre.

Basically the bigger the star, the bigger the risk with this genre. The more popular you are then the higher the expectations go which just can't be met with the genre especially the sort of number that is expected of a Shahrukh Khan or a Salman Khan starrer. Its difficult to meet expectations anyway and if a few circuits reject the film then the gap between expectation and final result can look huge which is the case with Fan.

The downside of mega stardom is that you can't really go out of the drama, action genre today as box office numbers are reported everywhere and outside these genres you need some outstanding film to put up a megastar number. Even the legendary megastars of prior generations with great box office records are likely to have filmographies devoid of thrillers.

Pathaan will take initials like very few films have before across the world because it is that traditional ALL INDIA MASS FILM for Hindi audiences across the globe and these are a rarity today. On top it has one of the biggest superstar ever of Hindi cinema coming back after a few years.

The admissions were around 23k which is no joke for a film which has already been so widely watched for the last 27 years. The main reason of the response is Shahrukh Khan and shows the superstardom is at was before and now the wait for Pathaan which will see Shahrukh Khan in this type of action zone which has not been seen for years if ever seen.

Pathaan saw Shahrukh Khan in the action genre which should have happened 10-15 years ago as a lot of his non performers were down to genre not being correct at the time of release for such a big star. The superstar works in films more often were superstardom meets genre rather than just depending on superstardom.

Shahrukh Khan is the biggest Indian film star ever seen in overseas and this is pretty much indisputable and he has had sub par movies over the last few years but they have still recorded HIT numbers and now here comes a much better product so there is a good chance that the overseas market can be pushed to another level.

Shahrukh Khan leads as he has not really seen a down period since the early 90's while Aamir Khan and Salman Khan have seen down periods. Even non performers of Shahrukh Khan are not Commercial Zone Event films. Failures came mainly in limited appealing Genres.

It will be called the comeback of Shahrukh Khan and as its a release after fours year it can be called a comeback from that angle but not as a star because the clout was there in 2003, 2013 and now 2023, all Pathaan does is confirm the clout and if not Pathaan something else would have done it.Years of megastardom does not die with 3 or 4 films not performing.

All in all another great day for the film industry as business jumps again in leaps and bounds and this has come with music that has not worked but Shahrukh Khan coming off Pathan with another huge ACTION film was always opening huge and its was just about whether it tops Pathaan opening. The action factor is highlighted in capitals as its of utmost importance as a lot of Hindi films in the last twenty years had gone towards thriller zone and only Salman Khan was doing actions films. Even Shahrukh Khan so called actions films like Don franchise were more towards thriller. Pathan, Gadar 2 and now Jawan are outright action films and opening results are all there for to see.

Animal probably put him behind only Shahrukh Khan as far as box office pegging order goes But these sort of things are not just about one film but time and its also the genre making a big difference be it SRK or Ranbir now as Pathaan, Jawan and Animal is very different from the cinema they had been doing pre pandemic and long may it continue.

7. Salman Khan (2010-2019)

Saajan had Sanjay Dutt and Salman Khan while Beta had Anil Kapoor but generally it was Madhuri Dixit leading the way in these films. Then came the peak with Hum Aapke Hain Kaun and Raja and it could be that no heroine had ever reached this level.

“The other side of the industry will believe its difficult to make good female driven films but thats not the case either as a Mother India and Hum Aapke Hain Kaun stand with the male testosterone driven Sholay and Gadar as historic blockbusters in Hindi cinema.”

“Gone are the days of Rajhshris when these sort of stories without the stars reached out to the wider audience and that too when there were only single screens.”

The film (Judwaa 1997) was also the film which gave the career of Salman Khan a major lift as although he had much bigger Hits than Judwaa before they were either two hero films like Saajan, Karan Arjun and Jeet or ensemble cast ones like Hum Aapke Hain Kaun and Sanam Bewafa where the supporting artistes have major roles.

In 2009 came Wanted which was not a huge hit but created this action star image for Salman Khan who until then was more of a romantic hero. He consolidated this image with films like Dabangg and Bodyguard and there was no looking back. These film were not the biggest blockbusters of the career of Salman Khan but created an image where the huge openings materialized which was not the case with some of the earlier bigger hits.

A male star has to do something in a film where the audience takes to him in the big way and for Salman Khan it happened with Dabangg and not Hum Aapke Hain Kaun. It was not only Dabangg as one film cant lead to such super stardom but others like Bodyguard and Ek Tha Tiger which helped cement the audience.

Even a Salman Khan starrer London Dreams comes up on the list but it was before his superstar days which started with Dabangg(2010) and the way things are going it won't be there forever as there will be some 50 crore plus budget film which will do less than 25 crore nett over the next few years.

The mega stardom will never come from a biopic though as the actor is unable to leave his stamp on the character like a Shahrukh Khan did in DDLJ or Salman Khan in Dabangg.

There are many stars in the industry, but that does not mean box office super stardom, as this happens to very few. It’s not only box office numbers because, as you pointed out, there was Hum Aapke Hain Koun, which is a far bigger hit than Dabangg and the biggest hit in a generation. A male star has to do something in a film where the audience takes to him in a big way, and for Salman Khan, it happened with Dabangg and not Hum Aapke Hain Kaun. It was not only Dabangg as one film that could lead to such super stardom but others like Bodyguard and Ek Tha Tiger, which helped cement the audience from where there was no looking back. A similar scenario took place with Shahrukh Khan in Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge and Sunny Deol in Ghayal. You can have the biggest hits, but what you do in the film has to be a craze, and that makes a big difference, as many actors have given huge hits over the last 100 years, but only seven actors are really big box office stars.

One crore footfalls also means reaching an audience although some films need to reach a bigger audience due to the size of the films and most Salman Khan films come into this category. The one miss was Veer (2010) which was his first release of the decade and became before Dabangg (2010) which established his image of a mass action superstar across India and then films like Bodyguard, Ready and Ek Tha Tiger rubber stamped this image. Veer actually scored in Rajasthan and Bihar but Salman Khan was not the same star at the time of this release as he was a year or two later.

Basically just one film under 1 crore footfalls through the whole decade means most of his films got an audience irrelevent of content. If we compare then Aamir Khan had one film which fell under 1 crore footfalls in the 2000-2009 decade but there were just nine releases and Manoj Kumar had one miss in the 1970-1979 decade but only ten films. Limited films had a hand in not missing the 1 crore mark for Aamir Khan and Manoj Kumar.

The 100 year plus history of cinema in India has seen around seven genuine superstars or megastars. We say genuine as regional superstars are called superstars today while stars and mini stars also get called superstars so the word superstar looses value.

When historians right about Indian cinema then it may well be that the names of Dilip Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan and Shahrukh Khan are top of the pile due to various reasons.

Govinda (Actor) Filmography

Govinda (Actor) Filmography
Rank	Film	Release Date	Nett Gross	Verdict
1	Love 86	February 14, 1986	-	Hit
2	Ilzaam	February 28, 1986	-	Super Hit
3	Tan Badan	April 25, 1986	-	Flop
4	Sadaa Suhagan	August 15, 1986	-	Semi Hit
5	Duty	January 1, 1986	-	Average
6	Dadagiri	January 30, 1987	-	Average
7	Pyar Karke Dekho	February 27, 1987	-	Average
8	Mera Lahoo	March 13, 1987	-	Flop
9	Marte Dam Tak	July 17, 1987	-	Super Hit
10	Khudgarz	July 31, 1987	-	Super Hit
11	Sindoor	August 14, 1987	-	Hit
12	Dariya Dil	January 8, 1988	-	Super Hit
13	Ghar Mein Ram Gali Mein Shyam	January 15, 1988	-	Disaster
14	Shiva Shakti	March 25, 1988	-	Flop
15	Jeete Hain Shaan Se	April 1, 1988	-	Average
16	Pyar Mohabbat	May 27, 1988	-	Flop
17	Hatya	June 3, 1988	-	Hit
18	Ghar Ghar Ki Kahani	June 30, 1988	-	Hit
19	Tohfa Mohabbat Ka	July 22, 1988	-	Flop
20	Halaal Ki Kamai	August 5, 1988	-	Flop
21	Paap Ko Jala Kar Rakh Kar Doonga	September 24, 1988	-	Flop
22	Sachai Ki Taaqat	January 6, 1989	-	Flop
23	Dost Garibon Ka	January 13, 1989	-	Flop
24	Do Qaidi	February 24, 1989	-	Average
25	Aasman Se Ooncha	March 3, 1989	-	Flop
26	Farz Ki Jung	March 17, 1989	-	Flop
27	Gair Kanooni	March 24, 1989	-	Below Average
28	Aakhri Baazi	April 14, 1989	-	Flop
29	Biloo Badshah	April 28, 1989	-	Below Average
30	Jaisi Karni Waisi Bharni	June 2, 1989	-	Super Hit
31	Jungbaaz	June 16, 1989	-	Hit
32	Taaqatwar	June 16, 1989	-	Semi Hit
33	Gentleman	July 28, 1989	-	Disaster
34	Gharana	December 2, 1989	-	Flop
35	Paap Ka Anth	December 8, 1989	-	Average
36	Maha-Sangram	January 12, 1990	-	Below Average
37	Taqdeer Ka Tamasha	March 12, 1990	-	Flop
38	Awaargi	January 26, 1990	-	Disaster
39	Naya Khoon	April 6, 1990	-	Disaster
40	Izzatdaar	March 6, 1990	-	Below Average
41	Kaali Ganga	July 1, 1990	-	Disaster
42	Swarg	May 18, 1990	-	Semi Hit
43	Apmaan Ki Aag	December 21, 1990	-	Flop
44	Hum	February 1, 1991	-	Semi Hit
45	Karz Chukana Hai	April 26, 1991	-	Flop
46	Bhabhi	August 23, 1991	-	Flop
47	Kaun Kare Kurbani	August 30, 1991	-	Disaster
48	Raiszaada	September 13, 1991	-	Disaster
49	Shola Aur Shabnam	February 7, 1992	-	Super Hit
50	Jaan Se Pyara	May 22, 1992	-	Flop
51	Zulm Ki Hukumat	July 17, 1992	-	Average
52	Radha Ka Sangram	July 31, 1992	-	Disaster
53	Baaz	November 6, 1992	-	Average
54	Aankhen	April 9, 1993	12,84,50,000	SUPER BLOCKBUSTER
55	Prateeksha	May 7, 1993	70,00,000	Flop
56	Muqabla	May 14, 1993	3,40,00,000	Semi Hit
57	Zakhmo Ka Hisaab	June 4, 1993	20,00,000	Disaster
58	Aadmi Khilona Hai	September 3, 1993	80,00,000	Disaster
59	Bhagyawan	December 10, 1993	2,00,00,000	Flop
60	Tere Payal Mere Geet	December 17, 1993	47,75,000	Disaster
61	Raja Babu	January 21, 1994	8,23,50,000	Super Hit
62	Dulaara	January 28, 1994	3,51,00,000	Average
63	Prem Shakti	February 25, 1994	1,22,00,000	Disaster
64	Khuddar	March 25, 1994	4,50,50,000	Semi Hit
65	Ekk Raja Rani	June 24, 1994	2,47,00,000	Flop
66	Aag	August 12, 1994	3,21,75,000	Flop
67	Brahma	September 2, 1994	2,11,00,000	Flop
68	Beta Ho To Aisa	October 21, 1994	81,50,000	Disaster
69	Andolan	March 3, 1995	6,05,00,000	Average
70	Haathkadi	March 31, 1995	4,87,00,000	Below Average
71	Kismat	June 16, 1995	2,63,00,000	Flop
72	Coolie No. 1	June 30, 1995	12,56,00,000	Super Hit
73	Gambler	December 8, 1995	7,17,00,000	Flop
74	Saajan Chale Sasural	April 12, 1996	13,82,00,000	Super Hit
75	Maahir	July 19, 1996	1,51,00,000	Disaster
76	Zordaar	October 11, 1996	77,00,000	Flop
77	Chhote Sarkar	November 22, 1996	3,93,00,000	Flop
78	Hero No. 1	February 21, 1997	17,08,00,000	Super Hit
79	Do Aankhen Barah Haath	July 11, 1997	2,39,00,000	Flop
80	Agnichakra	September 26, 1997	55,00,000	Disaster
81	Deewana Mastana	October 10, 1997	13,59,00,000	Hit
82	Banarasi Babu	January 30, 1998	5,58,00,000	Flop
83	Aunty No. 1	May 1, 1998	5,34,00,000	Below Average
84	Achanak	June 12, 1998	4,06,00,000	Flop
85	Dulhe Raja	July 10, 1998	12,75,00,000	Hit
86	Maharaja	September 4, 1998	6,35,00,000	Flop
87	Bade Miyan Chote Miyan	October 16, 1998	19,19,00,000	Hit
88	Pardesi Babu	November 13, 1998	5,26,00,000	Flop
89	Naseeb	December 18, 1998	1,49,00,000	Disaster
90	Anari No.1	April 9, 1999	10,24,00,000	Semi Hit
91	Rajaji	May 21, 1999	4,35,00,000	Flop
92	Haseena Maan Jayegi	June 25, 1999	15,02,00,000	Hit
93	Hum Tum Pe Marte Hain	September 24, 1999	6,23,00,000	Flop
94	Hadh Kar Di Aapne	April 14, 2000	11,31,00,000	Average
95	Joru Ka Ghulam	June 16, 2000	7,56,00,000	Below Average
96	Kunwara	July 21, 2000	10,77,00,000	Below Average
97	Shikari	October 6, 2000	4,95,00,000	Flop
98	Jis Desh Mein Ganga Rehta Hain	October 13, 2000	7,03,00,000	Flop
99	Beti No.1	November 10, 2000	11,00,000	Disaster
100	Jodi No.1	April 13, 2001	18,90,00,000	Hit
101	Albela	April 20, 2001	10,53,00,000	Flop
102	Dil Ne Phir Yaad Kiya	September 7, 2001	70,00,000	Disaster
103	Kyo Kii... Main Jhuth Nahin Bolta	September 21, 2001	7,95,00,000	Flop
104	Aamdani Atthani Kharcha Rupaiyaa	December 21, 2001	6,12,00,000	Below Average
105	Pyaar Diwana Hota Hai	April 26, 2002	1,09,00,000	Disaster
106	Akhiyon Se Goli Maare	August 2, 2002	3,10,00,000	Flop
107	Waah! Tera Kya Kehna	November 1, 2002	1,80,00,000	Disaster
108	Chalo Ishq Ladaaye	December 27, 2002	1,05,00,000	Disaster
109	Ek Aur Ek Gyarah	March 28, 2003	11,71,00,000	Below Average
110	Raja Bhaiya	October 24, 2003	1,65,00,000	Disaster
111	Khullam Khulla Pyaar Karen	April 29, 2005	75,00,000	Disaster
112	Ssukh	June 17, 2005	9,00,000	Disaster
113	Sandwich	August 25, 2006	47,00,000	Disaster
114	Bhagam Bhag	December 22, 2006	40,38,00,000	Hit
115	Salaam-E-Ishq	January 26, 2007	22,68,00,000	Disaster
116	Jahan Jaaeyega Humen Paaeyega	July 6, 2007	15,00,000	Disaster
117	Partner	July 20, 2007	60,04,00,000	Super Hit
118	Money Hai Toh Honey Hai	July 25, 2008	3,87,00,000	Disaster
119	Chal Chala Chal	February 6, 2009	1,30,00,000	Disaster
120	Life Partner	August 14, 2009	20,67,00,000	Flop
121	Do Knot Disturb	October 2, 2009	16,93,00,000	Flop
122	Raavan	June 18, 2010	28,98,00,000	Flop
123	Naughty @ 40	April 29, 2011	1,39,00,000	Disaster
124	Loot	November 4, 2011	3,20,00,000	Disaster
125	Deewana Main Deewana	February 1, 2013	33,00,000	Disaster
126	Kill Dil	November 14, 2014	30,16,00,000	Flop
127	Happy Ending	November 21, 2014	19,47,00,000	Disaster
128	Aa Gaya Hero	March 16, 2017	1,25,00,000	Disaster
129	FryDay	October 12, 2018	1,53,00,000	Disaster
130	Rangeela Raja	January 18, 2019	34,00,000	Disaster
	TOTAL	130 [34 years]		SUCCESS COUNT : 41/130
	AVERAGE	3.82 PER YEAR		SUCCESS RATIO : 31.54%
				HIT COUNT : 23/130
				All Time Blockbuster : 0
	1986-1989 (4 Years)	35 MOVIES		Super Blockbuster : 1
	1990-1994 (5 Years)	33 MOVIES		Blockbuster : 0
	1995-1999 (5 Years)	24 MOVIES	182,78,00,000	Super Hit : 11
	2000-2004 (5 Years)	17 MOVIES		Hit : 11
	2005-2009 (5 Years)	11 MOVIES		Semi-Hit : 7
	2010-2014 (5 Years)	6 MOVIES		Average : 11
	2015-2019 (5 Years)	3 MOVIES		Below Average : 10
				Flop : 43
				Disaster : 36
				INDIA HGOTY : 1
				OVERSEAS HGOTY : 0
				WORLDWIDE HGOTY : 1