The Indian film industry has always been male-dominated, whether it is regarding the remuneration of top stars or the roles written for female stars. Men have always been the bigger stars, largely due to the way the film industry has been structured. Very rarely have female stars like Sridevi or Hema Malini out-earned their male counterparts. Yet, in online popularity, particularly on social media, some female stars surpass even the biggest superstars, as is evident by the findings of IMDb’s new report.
IMDb‘s report on 25 years of Indian cinema looks at the most searched celebs and films from India from 2000-2025, and deduces the top trends in India’s entertainment industry during the period. One of its findings has been a list of the most-searched Indian actors over the last decade, led by a female star, and not one of the Khans or even south superstars like Rajinikanth or Prabhas.
Most searched Indian actor of the decade
The IMDb Most Viewed Indian Stars of the Last Decade list is based on the IMDb weekly rankings from January 2014 to April 2024. These rankings are determined by the actual page views of the more than 250 million monthly visitors to IMDb worldwide, the report states. Deepika Padukone tops the list, ahead of her frequent co-star and friend, Shah Rukh Khan. Two more female stars – Aishwarya Rai and Alia Bhatt – are in the top five, which is rounded off by the late Irrfan Khan. Top Bollywood stars like Aamir Khan (6), Salman Khan (8), Hrithik Roshan (9), and Akshay Kumar (10) all find a place in the top 10. But only two regional stars make the cut – Prabhas at 29 and Dhanush at 30.
In the list of most prolific headliners among the most popular films on IMDb, Deepika is the top-ranked actress with 10 films. But here, she is fourth overall, behind Shah Rukh (20), and Aamir and Hrithik (11 each).
Reacting to her spot in the list, Deepika said, “When I began my journey, I was often told how a woman must or is expected to navigate her career in order to be successful. However, from the very beginning, I was never afraid to ask questions, ruffle feathers, walk a more difficult path and challenge the status quo in order to reshape the mould we have all been expected to fit into.”
The new mom added, “The faith my family, fans and collaborators have had in me, have also empowered me to make the choices and decisions that I have, hopefully forever altering the path those after me will tread. IMDb’s Report on 25 Years of Indian Cinema further validates and strengthens my belief that honesty, authenticity and resilience matter, and that by being true to your core beliefs with consistency, change is possible.”
Deepika’s upcoming films
Deepika has recently been in the news due to her departure from two high-profile pan-India projects. She left Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Prabhas-starrer Spirit earlier this year, and was replaced by Triptii Dimri. Earlier this month, makers of Kalki 2898 AD announced that Deepika would not be part of the sequel. She was one of the headliners of the 2024 blockbusters alongside Prabhas and Amitabh Bachchan. In both cases, Deepika has been accused of making ‘unprofessional’ demands and shorter working hours. Sources close to the actor have maintained that she has only demanded 8-hour shifts on account of being a new mother. Deepika welcomed her baby girl, Dua, last September.
The actor is currently part of two big projects. She will be seen opposite Allu Arjun in his upcoming collaboration with Atlee, tentatively titled AA22xA6. She will then reunite with Shah Rukh Khan in Siddharth Anand’s King. Both films are slated to release in 2026.
