Rajinikanth entered an elite list of Indian actors this week as his recent release, Coolie, crossed ₹500 crore at the worldwide box office. The actor now has three films in the 500-crore club, joining only five other Indian actors to have achieved the feat. But neither he nor the Khans tops this list of box office domination. The actor with the most ₹500-crore hits is someone else.

The actor with most ₹500-crore hits

Rajinikanth’s three ₹500-crore hits (2.0, Jailer, and Coolie) put him in joint second on the list, alongside Salman Khan and Aamir Khan, who also have three such films each. But with four such films, it’s Telugu star Prabhas who rules the roost. Since Prabhas first entered the club with SS Rajamouli’s Baahubali: The Beginning ( ₹650 crore), he has followed it up three more times: Baahubali 2: The Conclusion ( ₹1788 crore), Salaar ( ₹617 crore), and Kalki 2898 AD ( ₹1042 crore). Prabhas is also one of only two actors with two ₹1000-crore films, the other being Shah Rukh Khan.

Shah Rukh’s Jawan ( ₹1160 crore) and Pathaan ( ₹1055 crore) are his only two ₹500+ crore films, putting him at joint fifth in the list, alongside Ranbir Kapoor and Rana Daggubati. Other actors with one ₹500-crore film as the lead include Allu Arjun, Ram Charan, Jr NTR, Yash, Amitabh Bachchan, Rajkummar Rao, Vicky Kaushal, Sunny Deol, Vijay, and Abhishek Bachchan.

Prabhas’ career graph

One of the biggest stars of his generation, Prabhas, comes from a film family. His father, Uppalapati Surya Narayana Raju, was a film producer, while his uncle Krishnam Raju was a leading Telugu star in the 1970s. Prabhas made his acting debut in 2002 with Eeswar and got his breakthrough two years later with Varsham. After giving hits like Chatrapathi, Darling, and Billa, he emerged as one of the most sought-after Telugu stars of his generation. In 2015, the success of SS Rajamouli’s Baahubali: The Beginning made him a pan-India star. He followed it up with Baahubali 2, the highest-grossing Indian film at the time.

Prabhas saw a career slump as his next few films—Saaho, Radhe Shyam, and Adipurush—all failed at the box office. However, in 2023, he made a roaring comeback with Prasanth Neel’s Salaar Part 1. His next film, Kalki 2898 AD, grossed over ₹1000 crore and is the eighth-highest-grossing Indian film ever. The actor will be next seen in the horror comedy The Rajasaaab and is also slated to appear in Salaar Part 2.