India is home to over 1.4 billion people, with 22 official languages spoken across the subcontinent—so it should come as no surprise that the country boasts the world's largest film industry. Colloquially called "Bollywood"—though the term is less accepted by those working in it, as it situates the industry in the shadow of its western counterpart—the Mumbai-based Hindi-language film industry churns out over 1,000 films each year, beating that of Nigeria's Nollywood, America's Hollywood, and the many regional film industries across India.
Bollywood has dedicated fans both at home in South Asia and in its widespread diaspora that have earned the industry billions in revenue and catapulted some of its stars to mega-fame. It’s hard to talk about Hindi films without mentioning Shah Rukh Khan, a box office juggernaut whose stardom is unrivaled; you’ll find his projects over and over within this list. Nicknamed “King Khan,” he has a net worth even higher than Taylor Swift and a perpetual crowd waiting outside of his Mumbai home. His fans are so passionate that his treatment at the 2025 Met Gala was met with widespread outrage.
