Movie stars without a doubt are the biggest celebrities in the world, way ahead of rockstars and sportsmen. In India, Bollywood has always been a star-driven country instead of a content-driven country. Superstars here are no less than demi-Gods and fans literary idolize them. In the last few decades, especially after the liberalization of India in 1993, Bollywood expanded its horizons across the world and Bollywood stars have big fan following outside India also. In this article, we will discuss about the Bollywood actor with the largest fan following across the globe.
Bollywood had seen many superstars from Rajesh Khanna to Hrithik Roshan but if we talk about a Bollywood actor with the largest fan following outside India also, it’s Shahrukh Khan who is ahead of other actors. Shahrukh Khan without a doubt is one of the biggest superstars of Indian cinema ever. Being an outsider to becoming a top movie star, the journey of Shahrukh Khan is nothing less than a fairy tale. Shahrukh Khan debuted in the year 1991 with the movie Deewana but he got recognition as a superstar after the release of Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. The movie was a landmark in Indian cinema and not only because of Shahrukh Khan but also for opening new doors for Indian movies across the world. It is one of the earliest movies about NRIs and after it, many movies were made to attract NRIs to Indian cinema through a dose of nostalgia and belongingness. With DDLJ, the fan base of Shahrukh Khan expanded internationally and with movies like Pardes, Kuch Kuch H*ta Hai, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, etc. he further cemented his position as a global superstar.
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His movies like Dil Se or Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna underperformed in the Indian box office but were big hits abroad, only because of the stardom of Shahrukh Khan. According to an article in an international magazine, Shahrukh Khan is the biggest star on earth ahead of Hollywood actors like Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt also. The interesting point is that he is not famous only in countries like the USA or England where a large number of Indians live, he is famous even in countries like Ethiopia, the Czech Republic etc where Bollywood is almost unknown and with very minimal or zero Indians residing there.
When it comes to global popularity, no actor from Bollywood is even closer to him. His movie My Name Is Khan opened 32 overseas markets for Bollywood, a feat other actors can never reach even remotely. He is the brand ambassador of Dubai and owns a house in Palm Jumeirah, Dubai which is one of the costliest properties in the whole world. He has been honoured with many awards and titles by various countries and international institutions for his contributions to cinema. So, we can conclude the article by saying that when it comes to having the largest fan base in the world, it’s Shahrukh Khan by miles.
