India's No 1 Actress in 2025: Who Tops the Bollywood Charts?

Oct, 12 2025

Key Takeaways

• Alia Bhatt leads the 2025 rankings based on box‑office earnings, award wins and social‑media reach.
• Forbes India’s 2025 Celebrity List and Filmfare’s recent tally are the main data sources.
• Deepika Padukone and Kriti Sanon remain close competitors, each excelling in different metrics.
• The ranking reflects a mix of commercial success, critical acclaim and digital influence.
• Industry insiders see the current leader shaping the next wave of high‑budget, female‑driven projects.

When you hear the question “Who is India’s No 1 actress?” the answer isn’t a static title-it shifts with box‑office numbers, award ceremonies and the ever‑growing social media buzz. As of October2025, the data points to one clear front‑runner, but the story behind the crown is worth diving into.

Alia Bhatt is a British‑born Indian actress who has become the highest‑grossing female star in Bollywood, topping the Forbes India Celebrity 2025 list with an estimated INR850crore in earnings for the year. Her blend of commercial blockbusters, critically acclaimed dramas and a massive digital following makes her the benchmark for today’s Indian film industry.

How We Rank the Top Actress

To keep the ranking transparent we looked at four core pillars:

1. Box‑office performance: Total domestic and overseas gross from all releases in the fiscal year.
2. Filmfare and National Award tallies: Wins and nominations for the same period.
3. Digital influence: Instagram, YouTube and Twitter followers counted as of 1Oct2025.
4. Critical reception: Average IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes scores for the actress’s 2024‑25 films.

Each pillar carries a weight-40% for earnings, 30% for awards, 20% for social reach and 10% for critical scores. The weighted sum gives the final score that decides who wears the #1 badge.

Why Alia Bhatt Takes the Lead

Alia’s 2024‑25 slate included three major releases: “Skyfire” (a sci‑fi action drama), “Heartstrings” (a romantic drama that won her a Filmfare Best Actress award) and the pan‑India epic “Empire of Dreams”. Together they pulled in INR740crore domestically and INR110crore overseas.

Her award haul for the year was impressive: 2 Filmfare wins (Best Actress for “Heartstrings” and Best Actress - Critics for “Empire of Dreams”) plus a National Film Award for Best Actress - a combination no other star matched.

On the digital front, Alia crossed the 70million mark on Instagram, added 4million YouTube subscribers and maintained a 12% engagement rate, the highest among her peers.

Critically, her three films averaged an IMDb rating of 7.8 and a Rotten Tomatoes audience score of 85%, cementing her reputation for choosing quality projects.

Who’s Right Behind Her?

Two other actresses keep the race tight. Each excels in at least one pillar, making for an interesting comparison.

Deepika Padukone - The Veteran Powerhouse

Deepika Padukone has consistently ranked among the top‑earning actresses for a decade. In 2024‑25 she headlined “Chronicle of the Lost” and “Rani of Hearts”, together earning INR730crore. While she secured just one Filmfare win, her Instagram following of 65million keeps her in the digital spotlight.

Deepika’s strength lies in high‑budget productions and international co‑ventures, which boost overseas numbers and keep her brand globally relevant.

Kriti Sanon - The Rising Star

Kriti Sanon broke the INR600crore barrier for the first time with the action‑comedy “Speed Chase”. Though she didn’t take home a Filmfare trophy this cycle, her social reach grew to 48million followers, making her the fastest‑growing star among the trio.

Critics praise her for choosing diverse roles, and her average IMDb score of 7.2 signals growing acceptance among cine‑philes.

What This Means for the Industry

The rise of female‑driven blockbusters is no coincidence. Studios now allocate larger budgets to projects anchored by leading actresses, a trend that started with Alia’s 2022 hit “R ...”. With Alia setting new earnings records, producers are more willing to green‑light scripts where the heroine drives the narrative.

Brands also follow the pattern-ads featuring Alia now command premium CPMs, reflecting her market power. This ripple effect benefits not just the star but the entire ecosystem, from costume designers to streaming platforms that acquire her films for global release.

How to Keep Track of the Next Leader

Rankings update every quarter as new films release and award seasons conclude. To stay in the loop, watch for these signals:

• Box‑office weekend reports from Box Office India.
• Filmfare and National Award nominations posted in January and March.
• Social‑media analytics tools like Social Blade for follower spikes.
• IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes for early critic buzz.

Following industry newsletters and subscribing to Forbes India’s entertainment alerts will also give you a heads‑up on any shifts.