Bollywood star Ranveer Singh has emerged as the most valued celebrity of 2022 with a brand value of $181.7 million, ending cricketer Virat Kohli’s reign of five years in the top spot, according to Kroll’s latest Celebrity Brand Valuation Report.
Kohli secured the second rank with a brand value of $176.9 million and Akshay Kumar held steady in third position with a brand value of $153.6 million.
South Indian movie stars actors Allu Arjun (20) and Rashmika Mandanna (25) made their way into the top 25 list for the first time, with brand values of $31.4 million and $25.3 million respectively. Olympic gold medalist Neeraj Chopra debuted in the list at the 23rd position with a brand value of $26.5 million. Actors Kiara Advani, Kartik Aaryan and Sara Ali Khan were other debutants on the top 25 list.
Singh became the most valued celebrity brand in India for the first time on the back of his mammoth endorsement portfolio, which is now the largest in the industry comprising more than 40 brands, and his widening global presence. After signing up with global sportswear brand Adidas and the National Basketball Association, he was roped in as brand ambassador of Yas Island in Abu Dhabi and as India’s ambassador for the Fifa World Cup 2022.
Kohli, who slipped to the second position this year, had topped the list for three successive years in 2019 (brand value of $237.5 million), 2020 ($237.7 million) and 2021 ($185.7 million).
The study ranked India’s celebrity brands based on their endorsement portfolios and social media presence. In the latest analysis, the share of Bollywood stars in the overall brand value for India’s top 20 celebrities fell to 67.6% from 81.7% in 2016, with sport stars contributing 28.9% and the remaining 3.5% belonging to Tollywood stars.
Aviral Jain, managing director, valuation advisory services, Kroll, said that this year’s theme is driven by the rise of South Indian movie stars and sports celebrities. Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu film industries posted a swashbuckling performance last year and even outperformed Bollywood in terms of both content and box office numbers.
“In 2021, almost half of the releases were driven by non-Bollywood cinema and I think they will continue to drive the business going forward. Now, Bollywood has to play catch-up. The increasing adoption of the regional stars, especially the South Indian stars who’ve become household names, is expected to continue, given the kind of traction they have achieved in the last two years,” says Jain.
