Forbes India has come up with a "celebrity 100" list for the year 2014, which includes the names of several celebrities in cinema and sports fields.
Many South Indian celeb including Ajith, Vijay, Rajinikanth, Pawan Kalyan, Mahesh Babu, Dhanush, Prabhudheva, AR Rahman and Allu Arjun have made it to the list of top 100.
AR Rahman: The composer has taken the 13th spot in the celebrity 100 list. Rahman was ranked 16th in last year's list and he has managed to climb three positions to take the 13th spot in this year's list. The Oscar winner has been on a roll with back-to-back successful albums this year. The composer's Tamil albums "I," "Kochadaiiyaan," "Kaaviyathalaivan" and "Lingaa" have emerged as big hits. Some of his Hindi albums like "Highway" and "Lekar Hum Deewana Dil" have also received good response from the fans.
Earnings: ₹50 crore
Money Rank – 15
Fame Rank – 15
Mahesh Babu: Telugu actor Mahesh Babu has been ranked 30th in the list. Although the actor has been going through a tough phase in terms of film's performance, his earnings have seen a rise this year. Mahesh was ranked 54th in last year's list and has moved ahead this year to the 30th spot.
Earnings : ₹51 crore
Money Rank: 14
Fame Rank: 88
AR Murugadoss: The director is ranked 39 in the celebrity 100 list. Murugadoss is basking in the back-to-back success of his films "Kaththi" and "Holiday" (remake of "Thuppakki"). Both the films made it to the ₹100 crore club and the director has three films in the elite club including Aamir Khan's "Ghajini." He is all set to direct Sonakshi Sinha in a woman-oriented film, which is said to be a remake of the critically-acclaimed Tamil flick, "Mouna Guru."
Earnings : ₹44.33 crore
Money Rank: 17
Fame Rank: 97
Vijay: The actor, fondly referred as Ilayathalapathy by his fans, has moved eight positions from last year's list and is currently ranked 41 in 2014's celebrity 100 list. Vijay's "Kaththi," which hit the screens this Diwali, is the highest grossing Tamil film so far. The actor has two films – "Thuppakki" and "Kaththi" – in the ₹100 crore club. With the stupendous success of "Kaththi," Vijay has set new benchmarks for other Tamil film stars.
Earnings : ₹33 crore
Money Rank: 23
Fame Rank: 80
Rajinikanth: Superstar Rajinikanth is ranked 45 in the list only after young actors like Mahesh Babu and Vijay. The actor was missing on the big screen for the last four years, but made a big comeback with the May 2014 release, "Kochadaiiyaan."
The film, deemed as India's first 3D film using motion capturing techniques, failed to set the cash registers ringing. The superstar is back in live action with "Lingaa," which hit the screens on Friday (12 December). This is the first time in several years, Rajinikanth has had two releases in the same year.
Earnings: ₹37 crore
Money Rank: 21
Fame Rank: 89
Ajith Kumar: Thala, as the actor is fondly referred to by fans, is back with a bang after failing to make it to the top 100 list last year. In 2014's celebrity list, the actor has been ranked 51. Although Ajith keeps away from social dos and media, his popularity among fans is on the rise, thanks to his simplicity as well as the success of his films. The actor, who has back-to-back hits, is expected to hit a hat-trick with the release of his upcoming film "Yennai Arindhaal."
Earnings: ₹40.33 crore
Money Rank: 19
Fame Rank: 98
Pawan Kalyan: Powerstar Pawan Kalyan is ranked 74th in the list. The actor, whose last year release "Attarintiki Daaredi" emerged as a industry hit in the Telugu film industry, will not have any release in 2014. Pawan took a break from his film commitments and joined politics with his new part Jana Sena. The actor actively campaigned for the BJP-TDP alliance during the 2014 Lok Sabha Polls.
Only a few months ago, Pawan shifted his focus on film commitments and is currently shooting for his new project "Gopala Gopala," which is set to hit the screens for Pongal. He will also commence work on the much-awaited "Gabbar Singh 2" in December.
Earnings: ₹16 crore
Money Rank: 38
Fame Rank: 86
Dhanush: The actor ranks 78 in this year's list. Dhanush, who went through a rough phase in Tamil film industry last year, made a fantastic comeback with the success of his film, "Velai Illa Pattathari." The actor has his hands full with a few projects including two in Tamil and one in Hindi. Besides acting in films, Dhanush is also donning several hats including that of a producer and a lyricist.
Earnings: ₹11.67 crore
Money Rank: 53
Fame Rank: 77
Allu Arjun: The stylish star features on the 80th spot on the list. The actor, whose "Race Gurram" is the highest grossing Telugu film of 2014, will be next seen in Trivikram Srinivas's untitled project.
Earnings: ₹11.5 crore
Money Rank: 54
Fame Rank: 79
Prabhudheva: Director/actor Prabhu Deva finds a place in the 88th position. Prabhu has given several hits including "R.. Rajkumar," "Rowdy Rathore" and "Wanted." However, his latest release "Action Jacskon" has failed to impress the critics and the audience alike. His next project is the Akshay Kumar starrer "Singh is Bling."
Earnings: ₹9.83 crore
Money Rank: 59
Fame Rank: 87
The complete "celebrity 100" is list available on Forbes India website