Bollywood superstars Shah Rukh Khan and Akshay Kumar are among the world’s highest-paid celebrities of 2016, according to an annual list by Forbes. The list has been topped by American singer Taylor Swift with an earning of $170 million. Shah Rukh ranks 86th on the list with earnings of $33 million, while Akshay comes in on the 94th spot withearnings of $ 31.5 million. Forbes said the Fan star “continues to rule Bollywood’s box office” with hit films and “endorsement deals for dozens of brands most Americans have likely never heard of.”
Akshay, however, slipped in ranks this year, from 76 in 2015. He is one of Bollywood’s busiest leading men. “The action star bolsters his earnings endorsing a wider range of products than most Hollywood actors, including motorcycles and gold loan companies” reports Forbes. Boy-band One Direction has claimed the second spot on the list with earnings of $110 million. The list also includes author James Patterson on the 3rd spot followed by Real Madrid footballer Cristiano Ronaldo (4), basketball player LeBron James (11) and musician Madonna (12). In order to form the Celebrity 100, Forbes evaluates front-of-the-camera talent across the entire entertainment world.
One third of this year’s honourees hail from outside the US. Forbes notes that while there is a plenty of geographical diversity on the list, the Celeb 100 underscores the chronic pay gap in the entertainment world since there are only 15 women on the list, down from 16 of last year. The list includes British singer Adele on the number nine with $80.5 million earnings. Chinese actor Jackie Chan ranks 21st on the list with $61 million earnings and Brazilian super-model Gisele Bundchen ranks 99 on the list. Hollywood comedian Kevin Hart ranks sixth followed by actor Dwayne Johnson on the 19 spot, reality TV show star Kim Kardashian on the 43 spot and Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Lawrence on the 50 spot.
