India's highest-paid actor has no releases for next 2 years, yet beats Shah Rukh Khan, Rajinikanth, Prabhas

The highest-paid actor in India may not have a film hitting theatres anytime soon, but he’s still raking in more than any other A-listers in the country. Outpacing superstars like Shah Rukh Khan, Rajinikanth, and Prabhas, it is none other than Allu Arjun.

Highest-paid actor in India

South cinema has gained a lot of attention in recent years, and hence it is not surprising that the highest-paid actor is the Pushpa star.

According to a report by Forbes India, the highest-paid actor is Allu Arjun, who bagged ₹300 crore alone for Pushpa 2: The Rule. As per the website, his net worth stands around ₹350 crore.

Highest-paid actors in India

Joseph Vijay is the second highest paid actor from India. Actor Vijay reportedly charged ₹130 crore to ₹275 crore for Jana Nayagan. His previous film, Leo, was the highest-grossing Tamil film of 2023 while GOAT became the highest Tamil grosser of 2024.

Next on the list is Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan with a remuneration of ₹150-250 crore for his last release Dunki. Following closely is Rajinikanth who reportedly charged ₹125-270 crore for films like Vettaiyan and Jailer. While Aamir Khan was reportedly paid ₹100-275 crore for Laal Singh Chaddha, Prabhas received ₹100-200 crore for Kalki 2898 AD.

AA22XA6

Meanwhile, Allu Arjun will be next collaborating with Jawan fame director Atlee. Their film is tentatively titled #AA22XA6. 

According to reports, the film is mounted at a budget of ₹800 crore, making it the second most expensive film after SS Rajamouli’s upcoming movie with Jr NTR and Priyanka Chopra, tentatively titled #SSMB29.

The film is a sci-fi actioner, expected to be a large-scale, visually impressive project with Hollywood-level VFX. Recently, Allu Arjun and Atlee were seen flying to LA for the design and VFX team.

The film is backed by Sun Pictures.

Reportedly, Allu Arjun is charging ₹175 crore for the film with Atlee, along with a 15 per cent share in the film's profits. Atlee is said to be paid ₹100 crore as the director. 

The film shoot is slated to begin in mid-2025. However, there's no confirmation regarding the film's release. It is likely to hit the big screen in 2026-2027.