Fawad Khan fifth most popular actor in Bollywood
Actor outpaces the likes of Ranbir Kapoor, Aamir Khan and Amitabh Bachchan on September’s Times Celebex.
Pakistani heartthrob Fawad Khan has made his way to the top five on September’s Times Celebex rating indicator, reported the Times of India. According to their website, Times Celebex powered by Zoom is the most definitive rating index of Bollywood stars and the power they yield over the public. Based on their popularity, performance and visibility, the ‘T Score’ is calculated by measuring parameters, including box-office performance, PR buzz and online following.
Fawad bagged the fifth spot, outpacing the likes of Ranbir Kapoor, Aamir Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, Shahid Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan and Ranveer Singh. The Humsafar star has leapfrogged 26 positions to reach the fifth rank. Fawad’s ascendance to the list toppers could be due to the media frenzy surrounding his Bollywood debut, the Sonam Kapoor-starrer Khoobsurat.
Fresh from the success of his action film, Kick, Salman Khan has topped the list for the month. He seems to have benefited from the buzz generated by the ongoing show Bigg Boss, which he hosts, coupled with seven brand endorsements. Ranking second and third are Hrithik Roshan and Shahrukh Khan, respectively.
Although not far behind Salman, Hrithik and Shahrukh could have missed the top spot as their films Bang Bang and Happy New Year released in October. Also featuring among the top five male actors is Akshay Kumar at number four. The actor’s position on the Times Celebex could be attributed to the promotions of his upcoming film The Shaukeens and his hosting gig on the dance-reality show Dare 2 Dance.
The fact that Fawad’s contemporary, Ali Zafar, is languishing at the 38th position comes as a surprise, given his tremendous fan-following in India. Other notable Pakistani celebrities to feature on the list are Imran Abbas, who is placed at number 30. Humaima Malick, who ventured into Bollywood with the film Raja Natwarlal, is positioned at number 42 in the Times Celebex for female actors.
Priyanka Chopra topped the list among female actors, owing to her gripping performance in the sports biopic Mary Kom and nine brand endorsements. The top five female actors on the list are Deepika Padukone, Katrina Kaif, Sonam Kapoor and Parineeti Chopra. Other actors among the top 10 on the Times Celebex are Haider co-stars Shahid Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor, who are placed at number seven.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 4th, 2014.