SCOOPS: Why Salman Khan tops Forbes India Celebrity 100 List, Shah Rukh Khan won't have a cameo in Badla & more...

1.Why Salman Khan tops the Forbes India celebrity 100 list

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The Forbes list of highest-paid actors was out a couple a days ago and among the Indian celebrities, Salman Khan has emerged as the numero uno with earnings of Rs 253.25 crore between October 1, 2017, and September 30 this year. This is the third consecutive time that Dabangg Khan has aced the list.

It’s hardly surprising that he is on top of the heap as the superstar has been delivering blockbusters over the last few years. This time, too, it was no different, though the 52-year-old actor had only two releases. His Tiger Zinda Hai raked in about Rs 339 crore* at the box office, and even a ‘flop’ like Race 3 grossed about Rs 166.15 crore*, which is equivalent to what hit films usually garner! 

Not only that, 2018 saw Salman hosting two TV shows — Dus Ka Dum (DKD), which returned after nine years and Bigg Boss that he has been anchoring for nine seasons in a row. He reportedly got Rs 78 crore for 26 episodes of DKD and is said to be charging Rs 14 crore per episode for BB12. This year, he also made an appearance as a special guest on a show called Comedy High School, for which he was reportedly paid Rs 4 crore for four hours! 

Besides films and TV, Salman is one of the most sought-after stars for brand endorsements. He is the face of nearly 10 brands, which include a wide range of products from soft drinks (Appy Fizz) to footwear (Relaxo) to innerwear (Dixcy Scott Innerwear). His endorsement fee reportedly ranges between Rs 4-5 crore for a day. 

As Forbes magazine states, “This Bollywood mainstay continues to produce and star in hits such as Tiger Zinda Hai, cashing in on backend profits. Coupled with a slew of endorsements from Suzuki motorcycles to Chlormint gum, he remains one of India’s top earners.”

TOP 10 RICHEST INDIAN CELEBRITIES

Salman Khan – Rs 253.25 cr

Virat Kohli – Rs 228.09 cr

Akshay Kumar – Rs 185 cr

Deepika Padukone – Rs 112 cr

Mahendra Singh Dhoni – Rs 101.77 cr

Aamir Khan – Rs 97.5 cr

Amitabh Bachchan – Rs 96.17 cr

Ranveer Singh – Rs 84.67 cr

Sachin Tendulkar – Rs 80 cr

Ajay Devgn – Rs 74.5 cr

Source: Forbes India

2.Deepika Padukone reclaims World’s Sexiest Asian Woman crown

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Deepika Padukone reclaimed the crown as the Sexiest Asian Woman In The World. Like last year, the Piku actress grabbed the top spot in the list published by UK-based Eastern Eye newspaper. Now in its 15th year, the longest running list of its kind is based on many millions of votes sent by people all over the globe, media coverage, impact and buzz generated across various social media platforms. 

After beginning the year on a professional high with the blockbuster Padmaavat, 2018 ends on a great personal note with her marriage to Ranveer Singh. She also won notices for her stylish turn on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival as well as her work to spread awareness about mental health issues through her Live Love Laugh Foundation. For Deepika, it is what’s on the inside that matters, as she says, “Honesty and authenticity, I find that extremely attractive. It’s empowering and liberating.” More power to you, girl!

3.Akshay Kumar on a hat-trick in China with Toilet: Ek Prem Katha, PadMan and 2.0

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After his hit 2017 social satire, Toilet: Ek Prem Katha (TEPK) opened in cinemas in China earlier this year, Akshay Kumar has two releases lined up in our neighbouring country. The Bollywood superstar’s much-talked about Pad Man, in which he played social entrepreneur Arunachalam Muruganantham, the inventor of low-cost sanitary pad-making machine, is all set to impress the Chinese audiences as it releases next Friday. Just like TEPK, which raked in the moolah in the Orient, Pad Man too is expected to draw the footfalls. 

What’s more, 2.0, Akki’s latest offering co-starring Rajinikanth, has also been scheduled to release in China in May 2019. The sci-fi action thriller will reportedly open in 10,000 theaters with 56,000 screens (including 47,000 in 3D). This makes Akki the first B-Town actor to have three releases there as a leading man. 

4.Anil Kapoor remembers Sridevi on Dance Plus 4

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Anil Kapoor recently visited the sets of Dance Plus 4 where the contestants paid a tribute to Sridevi. A source from the sets says several scenes and songs of the late actress were played even as contestants performed on her popular songs. A source says, “Whenever Anil and Sridevi’s numbers were performed, the former got emotional and recounted some special moments associated with them. After a contestant performed to their hit track, Pyaar Pyaar Karte Karte, from Judaai (1997) Anil revealed that he was not a good dancer, while Sridevi was fabulous. So, he needed to rehearse a lot to match steps with her. But for almost all the songs they did together, Sridevi never let him practise with an assistant. Even if he had to practise for 13 hours a day, she would be with him for the practise. He also said that people should celebrate and rejoice her life as an artiste rather than being sad.” 

5.#MeToo update: Clean chit for Subhash Ghai in sexual harassment charges

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Veteran filmmaker Subhash Ghai can breathe easy as actress Kate Sharma’s sexual harassment charges against him have reportedly been found unsubstantiable by the police. Even though she had withdrawn the complaint on November 24, saying she had to take care of her ailing mother, the matter was far from over. 

Finding no substance in Kate’s allegations, the police wrote in its report  that “it appears that the complainant with the intention of breaking into the film industry took advantage of the birthday photographs taken at the office of Subhash Ghai and uploaded them on Facebook account and made the same available to Tehelka, a Youtube channel, claiming incorrectly that she was being launched in Subhash Ghai’s next film Aitraaz 2.” 

The report further stated, “Subhash Ghai was upset with this fake news and stopped communicating with Kate Sharma which upset the complainant and she made allegations against the filmmaker. Later Kate gave the reason of her mother’s illness and withdrew her complaint Since no substance was found in the allegations made by the complainant, the matter has been closed.”

6.No cameo for Shah Rukh Khan in 'Badla'

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Recently, speculations were rife that Shah Rukh Khan will be seen in an extended cameo in Sujoy Ghosh’s next, Badla, which stars Amitabh Bachchan and Taapsee Pannu. It was reported that SRK will be seen as the Manmarziyaan actress’ boyfriend in the upcoming suspense thriller. However, a source rubbished these reports. Terming them untrue and baseless, our informer maintained, “There are no such talks happening with Shah Rukh at all. He doesn’t have a special appearance in Badla. He’s just co-producing the film.”