Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan has emerged as India’s most prolific star, appearing in 20 of the 130 most popular Indian films, according to a new IMDb report.
Titled ‘25 Years of Indian Cinema’, the study analysed the top five Indian movies each year from January 2000 to August 2025, based on over 9.1 million user ratings. Khan dominated the early 2000s, featuring in eight of the 25 most popular films between 2000 and 2004.
He also headlined the top movie for five consecutive years during this period. Even in years without a release, Khan remained a fixture on IMDb’s Popular Indian Celebrities list, featuring in the top 10 every week of 2024.
“It’s pleasantly surprising and encouraging to see the impact my films have made. My goal has always been to entertain and connect with audiences through storytelling,” Khan said. “Cinema can transcend language and culture, and to see my films resonate beyond India is very fulfilling. I’m grateful that my 25-year journey has been highlighted in the IMDb report… can’t help but say, ‘picture abhi baaki hai.’”
The report also noted changes in Indian stardom. While 13 male leads dominated the 25 most popular films in the early 2000s, the past five years have seen 23 different male stars, with only Prabhas, Allu Arjun, Suriya, and Vijay appearing more than once.
