Shah Rukh Khan tops IMDb report as India’s most prolific star

New Delhi, Sep 30 (PTI) Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan has emerged as India's most prolific star, featuring in 20 out of 130 most popular Indian movies, said a new report by IMDb.

The report, titled "25 Years of Indian Cinema (2000-2025)", was released on Tuesday by IMDb, the global movie database with over 250 million monthly users.

It is based on the top five most popular Indian movies released each year between January 2000 and August 2025, collectively accounting for more than 9.1 million user ratings worldwide.

According to the study, Khan dominated the early 2000s, starring in eight of the 25 most popular films released between 2000 and 2004.

He also headlined the top movie for five consecutive years during this period.

His enduring stardom has ensured that even in years without a release, he remained a constant presence on IMDb’s Popular Indian Celebrities list, featuring in the top 10 every week of 2024.

Khan said it is encouraging for him to see the impact his films have had on people.

"It’s pleasantly surprising and encouraging to see the impact films that I have been a part of have made. The goal has always been to entertain people and win over their love through storytelling. It’s always been my belief that the power of cinema lies in the fact that it can transcend boundaries of language and culture," he said in a statement.

"To see that my films have entertained people not just in India but elsewhere, is very fulfilling. I am thankful that my journey over these 25 years has been highlighted in the IMDb report…. can’t help but say, ‘picture abhi baaki hai," the 59-year-old actor said.

The report also highlighted the shifting landscape of Indian stardom.

While the first five years of the millennium saw 13 male leads dominate the 25 most popular films, the past five years have featured 23 different male stars, with only Prabhas, Allu Arjun, Suriya, and Vijay appearing more than once.

“Stars were once engines of success, but today they are a component of a larger machinery,” IMDb said.

“They function less as guarantors of success and more as multipliers of a movie’s intrinsic strengths. The fans of today may line up for a selfie, but they may not show up for the movie," it added. PTI ATR BK RB RB