The 2024 edition of Hurun India Rich List was released on Thursday. The annual list compiles the names of the wealthiest people in India along with estimates of their wealth based on their earnings. And while the highlight of the list was of course the changing fortunes of billionaires such as Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani, a number of entertainment celebrities were also part of the list. What was surprising was the name of the richest woman from the entertainment world – an actress who has not set the box office on fire in decades and yet is the richest actress of India.
India’s richest actress
The list, which captures Indians having a networth of over Rs 1,000 crore, grew by 220 individuals to 1,539 people in 2024. Actor Shah Rukh Khan made his debut on the list with a fortune estimated at Rs 7300 crore, the highest for any entertainment personality in India. But following him was his business partner and former co-star Juhi Chawla. With a reported net worth of Rs 4600 crore, Juhi is now comfortably the richest actress in India and one of the richest in the world.
The source of Juhi Chawla’s wealth
Juhi was one of the top actresses in the Hindi film industry in the 90s. After her debut with Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, she ruled the box office in the 90s with hits like Bol Radha Bol, Darr, Loafer, and Ishq. But after 2000, the actress moved to film production and supporting roles. She has been Shah Rukh’s partner in film production, first with Dreams Unlimited and now with Red Chillies Entertainment. That is the reason that even though Juhi has not had a box office hit since 2009 (when Luck By Chance released), she is rich because of her investment in Red Chilles Entertainment and as the co-owner of the Knight Riders cricket franchise. This has enabled Juhi to leapfrog other Indian actresses such as Aishwarya Rai (Rs 900 crore), Priyanka Chopra (Rs 850 crore), Alia Bhatt (Rs 550 crore), Deepika Padukone (Rs 400 crore), and Katrina Kaif (Rs 240 crore). None of these actresses made it to the Hurun Rich List.
Hurun India Rich List 2024 highlights
The list also had a surprise up at the top with Gautam Adani replacing Mukesh Ambani to become wealthiest Indian with a net worth of Rs 11.6 lakh crore. Recouping the dent caused by the Hindenburg Research report, Gautam Adani's networth shot up 95 per cent to Rs 11.6 lakh crore last year, which helped him replace Mukesh Ambani to become the richest Indian, the report said.
With inputs from PTI
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