Indian Actors Whose Highest-Grossing Films Came Years After Debut: Nani To Sunny Deol

Written By: Entertainment Desk

Sep 29, 2026 17:20 IST ⓘ

Indian stars that set new worldwide box-office records years into their careers.

Stardom does not always arrive with the biggest number attached. Sometimes an actor spends decades collecting hits, building a loyal audience and becoming a household name before one film rewrites the top line of their box-office resume. Sunny Deol had been a leading man for 40 years when Tara Singh roared back into theatres; Kamal Haasan’s record came more than six decades after he first faced a camera. Now, Nani has joined that company with ‘The Paradise’, although its collection is still growing.

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From long-awaited sequels to unexpected second winds, these films show that an actor’s biggest worldwide gross can arrive well after superstardom does.

1. Nani - The Paradise (2026)

Nani made his acting debut in ‘Ashta Chamma’ in 2008, building a reputation for easy charm before showing that he could carry a bruising action drama, too. ‘The Paradise’ reunited him with his ‘Dasara’ director Srikanth Odela and put Raghav Juyal, Sonali Kulkarni and Kayadu Lohar alongside him. Released on September 24, 2026, after paid previews on September 23, the film had grossed Rs 144.85 crore worldwide through Monday, September 28, according to Sacnilk. That is already above his previous career high, ‘HIT: The Third Case’ (Rs 119.48 crore), which had narrowly overtaken Dasara (Rs 118.50 crore). 18 years after ‘Ashta Chamma’, Nani has a new personal record; the final number is still being written.

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2. Kamal Haasan - Vikram (2022)

Kamal Haasan first appeared on screen as a child in ‘Kalathur Kannamma’ in 1960. By the time ‘Vikram’ opened on June 3, 2022, the idea of him needing a career high sounded almost absurd. Lokesh Kanagaraj gave him one anyway. The action thriller, with Vijay Sethupathi and Fahadh Faasil in major roles, brought Kamal Haasan’s character into the filmmaker’s interconnected crime world and grossed Rs 414.43 crore worldwide on Sacnilk. Kamal Haasan also produced the film. Its financial punch came some 62 calendar years after his child-star debut, a remarkable second wind for an actor who had already lived several cinematic lives.

3. Chiranjeevi - Mana ShankaraVaraprasad Garu (2026)

Chiranjeevi’s first released film, ‘Pranam Khareedu’, arrived in 1978. His biggest worldwide earner came nearly five decades later with a family-centred action comedy. In Anil Ravipudi’s ‘Mana ShankaraVaraprasad Garu’, he plays a security agent trying to reconnect with his estranged wife and children. Nayanthara, Venkatesh and Catherine Tresa also featured in the cast. The January 12, 2026, Sankranti release made Rs 301.49 crore worldwide by Sacnilk’s tally, overtaking his previous benchmark, ‘Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy’.

4. Mohanlal - L2: Empuraan (2025)

Mohanlal’s first released film, ‘Manjil Virinja Pookkal’ (1980), cast him as the antagonist. More than 44 years later, the man at the centre of Prithviraj Sukumaran’s ‘Lucifer’ saga was no longer a newcomer trying to steal a scene; he was carrying its grand sequel around the world. ‘L2: Empuraan’, released on March 27, 2025, brought back his Stephen Nedumpally/Khureshi-Ab’raam alongside Prithviraj, Manju Warrier, Tovino Thomas and Indrajith Sukumaran. Sacnilk recorded Rs 266.81 crore worldwide, including Rs 142.25 crore from overseas alone. Mohanlal’s later ‘Drishyam 3’ did enormous business in 2026, too, but its Rs 239.83 crore on the same tracker did not catch ‘Empuraan’.

5. Rajinikanth - 2.0 (2018)

Rajinikanth made his screen debut in a supporting role in K. Balachander’s ‘Apoorva Raagangal’ in 1975. 43 years later, S. Shankar put him back in the world of Enthiran for ‘2.0’, where his scientist Vaseegaran and robot Chitti faced Akshay Kumar’s Pakshi Rajan. Amy Jackson also starred in the science-fiction spectacle, released on November 29, 2018. Sacnilk put its worldwide gross at Rs 691 crore, ahead of Rajinikanth’s later ‘Jailer’. There is a useful distinction here: Sacnilk called ‘2.0’ an average performer against its enormous reported Rs 543 crore budget. It remains his highest-grossing starring film, even if the profit story is less triumphant than the ticket-sales total.

6. Sunny Deol - Gadar 2 (2023)

Sunny Deol began with ‘Betaab’ in 1983 and spent the next four decades making the intense stare and emphatic dialogue his own. Then Tara Singh returned. Anil Sharma’s ‘Gadar 2’, released on August 11, 2023, sent Tara back across the border to rescue his son, played by Utkarsh Sharma, with Ameesha Patel returning as Sakeena and Manish Wadhwa playing the antagonist. The sequel arrived 22 years after the first ‘Gadar’ and earned Rs 686 crore worldwide, including Rs 525.70 crore net in India, according to Sacnilk. For a star who had already given Hindi cinema ‘Ghayal’, ‘Border’ and the original ‘Gadar’, the biggest commercial roar still lay 40 years beyond his debut.

7. Ajay Devgn - Singham Again (2024)

Ajay Devgn arrived on two motorcycles in 1991’s ‘Phool Aur Kaante’. 33 years later, he had an entire police universe assembled around him. Rohit Shetty’s ‘Singham Again’, released on November 1, 2024, reunited him with Kareena Kapoor Khan and brought in Deepika Padukone, Arjun Kapoor, Ranveer Singh and Akshay Kumar, among others. At Rs 372.41 crore worldwide, it is Ajay’s highest-grossing starring film, just above ‘Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior’ at Rs 361 crore. But ‘Tanhaji’ made more net in India, Rs 279.59 crore against Singham Again’s Rs 247.86 crore, and Sacnilk rated the former a blockbuster and the latter average. So, if by biggest hit you mean the stronger domestic success, ‘Tanhaji’ is the answer; if you mean the largest worldwide gross, the crown goes to ‘Singham Again’.

8. Shah Rukh Khan - Jawan (2023)

Shah Rukh Khan’s first released film was ‘Deewana’ in 1992. Three decades of romantic leads, villains and comeback stories later, 2023 handed him two enormous global hits in one year. ‘Pathaan’ opened the door in January, but Atlee’s ‘Jawan’ went further when it released on September 7. With Shah Rukh playing both Azad and Vikram Rathore, the film paired him with Nayanthara and Vijay Sethupathi; Deepika Padukone had an extended appearance. Sacnilk recorded Rs 1,160 crore worldwide, above Pathaan’s Rs 1,055 crore. 31 years after ‘Deewana’, the actor famous for spreading his arms had his largest audience turnout yet.

9. Vijay - Leo (2023)

Vijay became a leading man with ‘Naalaiya Theerpu’ in 1992, long before “Thalapathy” was enough to identify him anywhere in the country. Lokesh Kanagaraj’s ‘Leo’, released on October 19, 2023, turned that built-in following into his biggest worldwide total. Vijay plays a seemingly ordinary café owner whose past comes looking for him. Trisha, Sanjay Dutt and Gautham Vasudev Menon featured alongside him. Sacnilk’s Rs 605.90 crore global tally remains his career peak, ahead of ‘The Greatest of All Time’ and his 2026 film ‘Jana Nayagan’. The thriller reached that mark nearly 31 years after his lead debut.

10. Aamir Khan - Dangal (2016)

Aamir Khan had appeared as a child actor, but ‘Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak’ in 1988 was his arrival as a leading man. 28 years later, Nitesh Tiwari’s ‘Dangal’ gave him his biggest film by a breathtaking distance. Released on December 23, 2016, it cast Aamir as wrestler and father Mahavir Singh Phogat, with Fatima Sana Shaikh and Sanya Malhotra as his daughters Geeta and Babita. Sakshi Tanwar and Zaira Wasim also featured. Sacnilk’s worldwide total is Rs 2,070.30 crore. A huge portion came later from overseas, especially the film’s 2017 China release.

11. Salman Khan - Bajrangi Bhaijaan (2015)

Salman Khan had a supporting part in ‘Biwi Ho To Aisi’ (1988), but ‘Maine Pyar Kiya’ in 1989 established him as a leading man. By the time Kabir Khan’s ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’ arrived on July 17, 2015, Salman’s fans were used to him beating villains. Here, his Pawan tried to take a lost Pakistani child home. Harshaali Malhotra played Munni, with Kareena Kapoor Khan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui in major roles. Sacnilk listed Rs 921.93 crore worldwide, his biggest starring-film gross. The figure includes the film’s later success in China. More than 25 years after ‘Maine Pyar Kiya’, his peak did not come from the loudest punch.

12. Allu Arjun - Pushpa 2: The Rule (2024)

Allu Arjun’s lead debut was ‘Gangotri’ in 2003; ‘Arya’ helped turn him into a Telugu star the following year. Two decades later, Pushpa Raj made his career peak a pan-Indian event. Sukumar’s ‘Pushpa 2: The Rule’, released on December 5, 2024, brought back Rashmika Mandanna as Srivalli and Fahadh Faasil as Pushpa’s police nemesis Bhanwar Singh Shekhawat. Sacnilk put the worldwide gross at Rs 1,742.10 crore. The swagger was familiar to viewers who had followed him for years; the size of the audience was something else entirely.

13. Ranbir Kapoor - Animal (2023)

Ranbir Kapoor debuted as a leading man in ‘Saawariya’ in 2007 and spent years proving he could make flawed characters compelling. Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s ‘Animal’ took that instinct into far darker territory. Released on December 1, 2023, the violent father-son drama starred Ranbir alongside Anil Kapoor, Rashmika Mandanna, Bobby Deol and Triptii Dimri. It divided viewers, generated arguments well beyond the theatre and earned Rs 915 crore worldwide on Sacnilk, overtaking ‘Sanju’ as Ranbir’s highest grosser. 16 years after the blue-towel debut, his biggest box-office result came from his most combustible screen persona.

14. Ranveer Singh - Dhurandhar: The Revenge (2026)

Ranveer Singh entered Hindi cinema as the irrepressible Bittoo in ‘Band Baaja Baaraat’ in 2010. More than 15 years later, Aditya Dhar’s two-part spy saga moved his personal box-office ceiling to an entirely different altitude. ‘Dhurandhar: The Revenge’, released on March 19, 2026, continued his undercover agent’s mission in Pakistan, with R. Madhavan, Sanjay Dutt, Arjun Rampal, Sara Arjun and Rakesh Bedi in the ensemble. Sacnilk listed an extraordinary Rs 1,813.39 crore worldwide, ahead of both the first ‘Dhurandhar’ and every other Ranveer-led film. The wedding planner who once hustled for a first client now owns one of Indian cinema’s biggest global grosses.

15. Prabhas - Baahubali 2: The Conclusion (2017)

Prabhas made his lead debut with ‘Eeswar’ in 2002 and had already built a strong Telugu career before S.S. Rajamouli imagined Mahishmati. ‘Baahubali: The Beginning’ made him a pan-Indian name; ‘Baahubali 2: The Conclusion’, released on April 28, 2017, made the numbers historic. Prabhas played Amarendra and Mahendra Baahubali opposite Rana Daggubati’s Bhallaladeva, in a cast that included Anushka Shetty, Tamannaah Bhatia, Ramya Krishnan and Sathyaraj. Sacnilk’s Rs 1,788.06 crore worldwide tally remains his personal high, above ‘Kalki 2898 AD’. About 14 and a half years after ‘Eeswar’, the question “Why did Kattappa kill Baahubali?” had helped turn his biggest film into a nationwide appointment.

16. Yash - KGF: Chapter 2 (2022)

Before the gold mines, Yash had Kannada television work and a 2007 film debut in ‘Jambada Hudugi’. By 2018, ‘KGF: Chapter 1’ had introduced Rocky to viewers far beyond Karnataka. Prashanth Neel’s ‘KGF: Chapter 2’ then gave him an even bigger arena: released on April 14, 2022, it brought back Srinidhi Shetty and added Sanjay Dutt and Raveena Tandon to Rocky’s fight for power. Sacnilk recorded Rs 1,215 crore worldwide, still Yash’s biggest despite his later 2026 release ‘Toxic’. The beard and baritone became instantly recognisable; the record took roughly 15 years of screen work to arrive.

17. Vicky Kaushal - Chhaava (2025)

Vicky Kaushal’s leading-man breakthrough came with the intimate, Cannes-screened ‘Masaan’ in 2015. A decade later, ‘Chhaava’ asked him to fill a very different frame as Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj. Laxman Utekar’s historical drama, released on February 14, 2025, cast Rashmika Mandanna as Maharani Yesubai and Akshaye Khanna as Aurangzeb, alongside Ashutosh Rana, Divya Dutta and Vineet Kumar Singh. Its Rs 807.91 crore worldwide gross on Sacnilk made it Vicky’s biggest film, far above even his breakthrough commercial success ‘Uri: The Surgical Strike’. The journey from Masaan’s quiet grief to Chhaava’s vast battlefields is one of the sharpest shifts of scale on this list.

Honourable Mentions

The record-breakers do not stop at 17. Nearly two decades after his lead debut, Hrithik Roshan reached a new worldwide high with ‘War’ (Rs 471 crore). Ram Charan and Jr NTR shared a much larger one with ‘RRR’ (Rs 1,230 crore), while ‘Stree 2’ gave both Rajkummar Rao and Shraddha Kapoor a Rs 857.15 crore peak. Rishab Shetty more than doubled the original Kantara’s worldwide gross with ‘Kantara: A Legend Chapter 1’ (Rs 852.36 crore). Kartik Aaryan belongs in the conversation, too: ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3’ took his personal best to Rs 400.35 crore.