India’s Highest-Paid TV Hosts: Ajay Devgn Made Rs 90 Crore From ‘Crime Patrol’, Yet He’s Not No.1

Written By: Entertainment Desk

Sep 02, 2026 14:37 IST ⓘ

Ajay Devgn's reported Rs 90 crore ‘Crime Patrol’ deal is staggering, but he's still not the highest paid TV host in India.

Television once looked like the smaller cousin of the movies. Then India’s biggest stars discovered that a weekend reality show could deliver film-sized fame without requiring them to leap from exploding cars, or even memorise three hours of dialogue. Today, the right host is not simply hired to read cue cards. The host is the face of the format, the reason advertisers arrive and, quite often, the person audiences tune in to watch more closely than the contestants.

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Ajay Devgn has now provided the latest reminder of just how lucrative that chair can be. The actor reportedly signed a 15-episode, Rs 90 crore deal to front the new season of ‘Crime Patrol’, working out to an extraordinary Rs 6 crore per episode. That would make most film salaries look like pocket money, but it still does not give Ajay the biggest reported hosting payday in India. Salman Khan remains ahead.

A necessary note before opening television’s most expensive salary register: celebrity-host contracts are private. The figures below are media-reported estimates, not officially audited disclosures.

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1. Salman Khan - Bigg Boss

No one has turned the ‘Bigg Boss’ weekend into a personal durbar quite like Salman Khan. He joined the Hindi reality show in 2010 and gradually became inseparable from it: part referee, part headmaster and part relative who has arrived to settle every family argument. As per Hindustan Times, his remuneration rose from roughly Rs 2.5 crore per episode in the early years to about Rs 15 crore per week around Seasons 15 and 16. For an extended four-month edition, that could take his reported season fee to approximately Rs 250 crore. The publication added that his fee later settled at around Rs 10 crore a week for Seasons 18 and 19, producing shorter-season totals of roughly Rs 130-150 crore.

Salman will return for the landmark ‘Bigg Boss 20’, which will premiere on September 6, 2026, on Colors TV and JioHotstar. The new edition promises an “Extra Jeevan Daan” twist that can give contestants another life in the game. His Season 20 remuneration has not been officially disclosed. What can safely be said is that, among widely reported Hindi-hosting deals, Salman remains the Bigg Boss of paycheques.

2. Kamal Haasan - Bigg Boss Tamil 7

Kamal Haasan hosted ‘Bigg Boss’ Tamil from its launch in 2017 through Season 7, bringing to the weekend episodes his own mix of interrogation, political subtext and professorial calm. Tamil Indian Express reported that Kamal negotiated a fee of approximately Rs 130 crore for Season 7, after having reportedly received about Rs 75 crore for the preceding edition. That figure was never formally confirmed by the broadcaster or the actor, but it places his reported Season 7 contract above Ajay Devgn’s Rs 90 crore deal.

‘Bigg Boss Tamil 7’ premiered on October 1, 2023, on Vijay Television and Disney+ Hotstar. Its double-house setup ensured that even the architecture came with a twist. Kamal subsequently left the franchise and Vijay Sethupathi took over, but the reported Rs 130 crore deal remains one of the largest hosting packages attached to an Indian-language reality show.

3. Amitabh Bachchan - Kaun Banega Crorepati

The most famous chair on Indian television may also be one of its most expensive. Amitabh Bachchan transformed ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’ into more than a quiz show when it began in 2000. His formal greetings, perfectly timed pauses and ability to turn a contestant’s life story into the emotional centre of an episode made “Lock kiya jaye?” part of everyday speech. Hindustan Times reported that Big B routinely earns more than Rs 100 crore for a season, with estimates placing his fee at roughly Rs 15-20 crore per week.

He returned for ‘KBC 18’ on August 10, 2026, at 9 pm on Sony Entertainment Television and SonyLIV. The season’s “Sochna Padega” theme shifts attention from memorising information to applying it intelligently – a neat update for a quiz show operating in the age of search engines and artificial intelligence.

4. Ajay Devgn - Crime Patrol

Ajay Devgn does not need to raise his voice to make a warning sound serious, which makes him a natural fit for ‘Crime Patrol’. The actor made his television-hosting debut with ‘Crime Patrol: Crime Ka Current Season’, which premiered on August 31, 2026, on Sony Entertainment Television and SonyLIV. The long-running true-crime franchise, first launched in 2003, dramatises cases while encouraging viewers to recognise danger and remain vigilant. Its new edition turns particular attention to crime in the age of social media, where a harmless-looking follow request can become the first scene in a nightmare.

The number that generated nearly as much attention as the cases was Ajay’s reported contract: Rs 90 crore for 15 episodes, or Rs 6 crore per episode. The estimate makes him one of India’s best-paid hosts from his very first season. It also explains why his famous intensity has moved from the police uniform to the presenter’s chair without becoming any less expensive.

5. Kapil Sharma - The Great Indian Kapil Show

Kapil Sharma’s biggest stunt is making celebrity guests forget that they arrived with a promotional script. On ‘The Great Indian Kapil Show’, he mixes interviews with sketches, recurring characters and the joyful possibility that Sunil Grover may enter dressed as almost anyone. Reports have consistently placed Kapil’s fee at approximately Rs 5 crore per episode. Moneycontrol calculated around Rs 65 crore for each of the first three 13-episode seasons – or roughly Rs 195 crore across those three seasons – although Netflix has never verified those figures.

The show began on Netflix on March 30, 2024, carrying Kapil’s familiar comedy-talk format from linear television to a global streaming service. Season 4 premiered on December 20, 2025, with Priyanka Chopra as its opening guest.

6. Aamir Khan - Satyamev Jayate

Aamir Khan did not make his television debut with dancing celebrities or a jackpot. He arrived on Sunday morning to discuss female foeticide, child se**al abuse, dowry, medical malpractice and other subjects that primetime entertainment usually avoided. ‘Satyamev Jayate’ premiered on May 6, 2012, across the Star network and DD National, with the first season containing 13 episodes. It combined survivor testimonies, field research, expert discussions and an original song, turning the superstar-host into a listener rather than the loudest person in the room.

Several reports placed Aamir’s fee at approximately Rs 3 crore per episode, implying about Rs 39 crore across the 13-episode first season if the rate applied throughout. Aamir later confirmed that he was paid for the programme but said he earned less from it commercially than he could have through advertising. The show eventually ran for three seasons, concluding in 2014, and its real currency was conversation rather than catchphrases.

7. Shah Rukh Khan - Kya Aap Paanchvi Pass Se Tez Hain?

Shah Rukh Khan brought a very different energy to television: less stern quizmaster, more witty classmate who happened to know all the answers. After hosting ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati 3’ in 2007, he returned with ‘Kya Aap Paanchvi Pass Se Tez Hain?’, the Indian adaptation of ‘Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?’. Premiering on April 25, 2008, on Star Plus, the game show tested adults with primary-school questions while five children served as their classmates and potential lifelines. The contestant who survived the full examination could attempt to win Rs 5 crore – although the adults frequently discovered that fifth-standard textbooks were far more intimidating than they remembered.

Business Standard reported that Shah Rukh charged approximately Rs 1 crore per episode for the programme. The show aired 37 episodes, which would place the complete run at as much as Rs 37 crore if that quoted rate applied throughout; however, no official total was released. Reports had earlier put his ‘KBC 3’ remuneration at around Rs 75 lakh per episode. The ratings for ‘Paanchvi Pass’ were affected by the inaugural IPL season and it did not return for another edition.

8. Akshay Kumar - Wheel Of Fortune India And MasterChef India

Akshay Kumar returned to television after more than a decade with ‘Wheel of Fortune India’, which premiered on January 27, 2026, on Sony Entertainment Television and SonyLIV. The Indian adaptation of the internationally successful game show challenged contestants to solve word puzzles by guessing letters, while the spinning wheel determined their prize money – and occasionally changed their fortunes with one particularly lucky turn. Akshay brought his trademark mischief to the format, bantering with contestants and celebrity guests while keeping the rapidly changing game moving. The first season concluded on April 27, 2026, after 65 episodes.

His remuneration for ‘Wheel of Fortune India’ has not been reported reliably enough to quote. However, this was hardly Akshay’s first expensive television assignment. He previously hosted ‘Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi’ and fronted the inaugural season of ‘MasterChef India’, which premiered on October 16, 2010, on Star Plus. Business Standard reported that he earned approximately Rs 30 crore for ‘MasterChef India’, at an estimated Rs 1.2-1.5 crore per episode. Reportedly, Akshay earned roughly Rs 1 crore or more per episode for ‘Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi’.

9. Nagarjuna - Bigg Boss Telugu 9

Nagarjuna has hosted ‘Bigg Boss’ Telugu continuously since Season 3, becoming the smiling authority figure who can switch from teasing the housemates to examining their behaviour within the same conversation. Season 9 premiered on September 7, 2025, on Star Maa and JioHotstar. Titled ‘Ranarangam’, it introduced a double-house format and brought commoners into the competition alongside celebrities.

Times of India reported that Nagarjuna received Rs 30 crore for the season. He is also returning for ‘Bigg Boss Telugu 10’, due to premiere on September 6, 2026, but his new remuneration has not been revealed.

10. Karan Johar - Koffee With Karan

Karan Johar has spent two decades proving that a sofa, a hamper and the right follow-up question can be more dangerous than an obstacle course. ‘Koffee With Karan’ began in 2004 and evolved into Hindi cinema’s unofficial confession booth, producing relationship revelations, rapid-fire disasters and quotes that regularly outlive the films its guests came to promote. Season 8 premiered on October 26, 2023, on Disney+ Hotstar and ran for 13 episodes.

According to Hindustan Times, Karan earned more than Rs 25 crore for that season, making him its highest-paid non-actor host in the publication’s comparison. He has confirmed that Season 9 will arrive around Diwali 2026, and it is expected to stream on JioHotstar.

11. Mohanlal - Bigg Boss Malayalam 7

Mohanlal has been the steady centre of ‘Bigg Boss’ Malayalam since its 2018 debut. His hosting style rarely needs theatrical aggression; a look, a pause and a carefully framed question can make a contestant rethink an entire week’s behaviour. Season 7, which streamed on JioHotstar and aired on Asianet in 2025, expanded the franchise’s now-familiar mix of tasks, alliances, public voting and weekend reckoning.

Reports placed Mohanlal’s Season 7 remuneration at approximately Rs 24 crore – double the Rs 12 crore widely reported for his inaugural season. He will return for ‘Bigg Boss Malayalam 8’ on September 6, 2026, but no figure for the new contract has been revealed.

12. Rohit Shetty - Khatron Ke Khiladi

Rohit Shetty found the television format most naturally suited to his cinematic personality: famous people, enormous machinery and the constant possibility of somebody flying through the air. He has become the definitive host of ‘Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi’, mixing tough love with stunt-by-stunt explanations as celebrity contestants face heights, water, confined spaces, animals and carefully engineered panic.

‘Khatron Ke Khiladi 15’ premiered on August 1, 2026, on Colors TV and JioHotstar after a two-year break, with the theme “Darr Ka Naya Daur”. Hindustan Times placed Rohit Shetty’s reported remuneration for the latest season at approximately Rs 12-14 crore. It is far below Ajay’s Rs 90 crore package, but there is a poetic symmetry here: even when the filmmaker and his frequent leading man move to television, the competition somehow still involves fear.

Ajay Devgn’s reported Rs 6 crore per episode is therefore an astonishing debut rate, but highest-paid changes depending on whether one compares a single episode, a full season or a multi-season streaming deal. Salman Khan owns the largest widely reported Hindi-season peak.