MUMBAI, June 18: Cricketer Virat Kohli has regained the top position to become India's most valued celebrity with a brand value of USD 227.9 million in 2023 but remained short of the peak of USD 237.7 million in 2020, as per a report.
A jump of nearly 29 per cent in the overall brand value in the year from USD 176.9 million in 2022 has ensured Kohli overtakes actor Ranveer Singh, who slipped to second spot with a brand value of USD 203.1 million, the report by consultancy firm Kroll stated.
However, Kohli's brand value is yet to reach the levels of USD 237.7 million seen in 2020, as per Kroll's Celebrity Brand Valuation Report 2023.
Riding on the success of films like Jawaan and Pathaan, 58-year-old actor Shah Rukh Khan has jumped to third place in the rankings with a total brand value of USD 120.7 million in 2023. The Badshah of Bollywood was valued at USD 55.7 million in 2022, which placed him at the tenth spot on the list.
The firm's managing director for valuation advisory services, Aviral Jain, said Khan is making an “incredible return” into the league of India's top five celebrity endorsers for the first time since 2020.
More than doubling of Khan's brand value has led to other celebrities slipping previous spots in the list of top brands. This includes Akshay Kumar coming in at fourth in 2023 with a brand value of USD 111.7 million from third in 2022, Alia Bhatt slipping to fifth from fourth with a valuation of USD 101.1 million and Deepika Padukone with a valuation of USD 96 million at sixth spot in 2023 from being fifth on the list in 2022.
Wicketkeeper-batsman M S Dhoni, who announced his retirement from cricket recently, moved up one spot on the list with a brand value of USD 95.8 million while retired cricketer Sachin Tendulkar held on to the eighth place in the list with a brand value of USD 91.3 million.
Salman Khan also moved up one spot to become the tenth most valuable celebrity brand in 2023 with a value of USD 81.7 million in 2023.
The overall valuation of the top 25 celebrity brands stood at USD 1.9 billion in 2023, which was 15.5 per cent higher than the year-ago period.
Among the others in the top 25, Jain said actor Kiara Advani had a meteoric rise to rank 12, while Katrina Kaif debuted on the list at rank 25.
The firm said its assessment represents the brand value of a celebrity based purely on their earnings potential from product brand endorsements, including full-fledged endorsements, purely digital and one-time campaigns, and website appearances. It has not considered merchandising earnings in the analysis because earnings from brand endorsements would be the largest contributor to a celebrity's brand.
