IE 100 The most powerful Indians: Shah Rukh Khan, Alia Bhatt climb ranks; Karan Johar, Amitabh Bachchan feature in the list

A new year, a new list, and some known names flexing their might through their art. Megastar Amitabh Bachchan, superstar Shah Rukh Khan, actor Alia Bhatt and filmmaker Karan Johar are among those from the Indian entertainment industry who feature in the IE 100- the Most Powerful Indians 2024 list.

The artistes have made their way to the list–some jumping ranks, some returning from last year’s absence– with their incredible work, smashing box office, going global, producing content across platforms while also emerging as social media icons.

Shah Rukh Khan- rank 27 (previous rank 50)

At 58, Shah Rukh Khan made a comeback after five years, featured in three films which went on to do more than Rs 2,600 cr at the global box office. For the superstar, with over 44 million followers on X, it was all about numbers. Khan’s comeback Pathaan brought back Hindi cinema its glory post-pandemic and amid social media negativity. He set the benchmark again with his next, Jawan, which remains the highest grossing Hindi film of all time.

His third release, Dunki, may not have set the cash registers ringing, but all his three films sealed his position as a cinematic legend, who will pull the crowd even with minimal promotions and virtually no media interaction. Khan 2.0 was seen exclusively on the big screen, globe-trotting, cigar-smoking, border-crossing–and still left audience wanting for more.

Up next, Khan will team up with his daughter Suhana for another action film, The King, and will follow it up with Pathaan 2, returning as the titular spy for yet another adventure.

Alia Bhatt- rank 79 (previous rank 99)

No more an actor but also a producer and an entrepreneur, Alia Bhatt had a defining 2023, where she balanced a commercial outing like Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahani and also made global headlined with her international debut Heart of Stone– the Netflix spy-thriller. It was also the year where she bagged her maiden National Award for her powerful performance as the titular protagonist of Gangubai Kathiawadi.

It wasn’t just the movies, as Alia, one of the most-followed Indian actors on Instagram spread her magic even to the bands and became Gucci’s global ambassador, attending the brand’s fashion shows in Seoul and Milan. Reliance Retail acquired a majority stake of 51 per cent in Ed-a-Mamma, her brand for new mothers.

Karan Johar- rank 97

Karan Johar proved the naysayers wrong, who were too quick to write obituaries for family dramas and rom-coms. The 51-year-old filmmaker returned to stunning form with Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahani– in a year when big actioners did the talking. The film earned Johar immense acclaim and also went on to emerge a hit at the box office.

Johar, who wears many hats of director, writer, producer, talent-show judge and chat-show host, also ventured into advertising with Dharma 2.0. His Dharmatic Entertainment is entirely dedicated to OTT content while Dharma Cornerstone Agency is grooming new talent. Amidst all of this, Johar also had his fan-favourite show brewing–Koffee With Karan season 8, which created several online discourses, to no one’s surprise.

Dharma Productions will now unveil their outings in other genres like the Sidharth Malhotra-starrer hijack drama Yodha, Mr & Mrs Mahi, based on cricket with Rajkummar Rao and Janhvi Kapoor, and a prison break drama, Jigra, with Alia Bhatt. Dharmatic Entertainment has Ae Watan Mere Watan with Sara Ali Khan in the role of an underground radio station host during the freedom struggle.

Amitabh Bachchan- rank 99 (previous rank 87)

Let others be Badshahs and Sultans, but Amitabh Bachchan will continue to be the Shahenshah of the industry. The 81-year-old screen icon, who has appeared in over 200 films in five decades, continues to reinvent himself for every generation, either with character-driven roles or as a game show host, brand messenger and also, a social media icon, with over 48.8M followers on X.

The Celebrity Brand Valuation Report of 2023 pegs Bachchan’s brand value at $79 million and the star remains unstoppable as he also announced his team, Majhi Mumbai, ahead of the inaugural edition of the Indian Street Premier League (ISPL). In all these years, the megastar has built a personal connection with his fans, but online and offline. If he keeps his admirers updated about his work and health via his blog, he also makes it a point to greet them every Sunday outside his Juhu residence.

On the work front, Bachchan will be seen in an extended cameo act in The Umesh Chronicles, the sci-fi epic, Kalki 2898 AD, Tamil film Vettaiyan with Rajnikanth and as a playback singer in Kannada film Butterfly.