Actor Ranveer Singh has been ranked as the most valued celebrity for branding messages in 2022, according to a new Celebrity Brand Valuation report from Kroll. Virat Kohli was voted number two on the list, followed by Akshay Kumar at number three. “RRR” actress Alia Bhatt took fourth place, while Deepika Padukone took fifth place in the league of top five Indian brand endorsers in 2022.
Virat Kohli held the top spot for the fifth consecutive year through 2021.
For the first time, South Indian stars – Allu Arjun and Rashmika Mandanna – made it onto the list of India’s top 25 celebrities. Among sports celebrities, Olympic gold medalist Neeraj Chopra debuted at No. 23 in the rankings, along with Commonwealth gold medalist PV Sindhu, while Sachin Tendulkar rose to the top 10 club in 2022.
Ranveer Singh was valued at $181.7 million, Virat Kohli at $176.9 million, Akshay Kumar at $153.6 million, Alia Bhatt at $102.9 million and Deepika Padukone to $82.9 million.
Both Allu Arjun and Rashmika Mandanna made the top 25 list for the first time with brand values of $31.4 million and $25.3 million, respectively.
The total brand value of the top 25 celebrities in 2022 is estimated at US$1.6 billion (B), a 29.1% increase from the previous year.
“With the remarkable rise of South Indian cinema in recent years, Bollywood is no longer the only industry ruling the box office. South Indian cinema continues to deliver successive hits, paving the way for South Indian actors to become national faces today,” the report said. “Various factors including limited film releases from Bollywood, increasing regional and international content on over-the-top (OTT) platforms, the boycott Bollywood movement on social media and the strategic marketing of South Indian films are now letting marketers cross borders look out mainstream. As a result, when it comes to brand endorsements, South Indian stars are slowly becoming the national faces for many brands,” the report reads.
Speaking of sports personalities other than cricket, the report said: “Not only top cricketers but also athletes in general continue to do well thanks to their exceptional performances on the international stage at sporting events such as the Olympic Games and the Commonwealth Games.”
Beyond Bollywood
Over the decades, the report states: “Bollywood has been the most visible part of the Indian film industry, but that hegemony seems to be waning. In 2022, South Indian cinema, which encompasses the Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu language industries, has performed remarkably well.”
In 2016, Bollywood stars accounted for 81.7% of the total brand value of India’s top 20 celebrities, while the remaining 18.3% consisted of sports stars. However, in 2022, the share of Bollywood stars has dropped to 67.6% of the total brand value, with sports stars accounting for 28.9% and Tollywood stars accounting for the remaining 3.5%.
