He earns over Rs 150 crores a year through endorsements, over Rs 1 crore to grace an event, Rs 10 crore per TV episode, more than Rs 15 crores per film and has now launched a Rs 109 billion real estate project in the UAE. Actor Shah Rukh Khan, who turned 43 on November 2, is much more than a Bollywood superstar.

With his dimpled cheeks, toned frame, impeccable dressing sense and unmatched wit and humour, the actor has enthralled audiences worldwide for almost two decades now with films like Baazigar, Darr, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Dil To Pagal Hai and Chalte Chalte.

King Khan, as he is fondly called, wears the diadem of the actor with the biggest pocket in tinsel town — rumoured to be around Rs 1,600 crores with his maximum earnings coming from commercial endorsements.

Shah Rukh, the actor-turned-businessman, who earns more than Rs 300 per minute as per experts, has successfully diversified into newer avenues with the same charismatic appeal with which he rules Bollywood, just as his fan following has spread over the rest of Asia-Pacific and into Europe, North America and Africa.

After a colourful 2007 with two hits — Chak De! India and Om Shanti Om (OSO), Shah Rukh has left the theatres devoid of his presence this year. But the actor continues to be a phenomenon worldwide.

He made a quick profit of Rs 40 crores across the table by selling the world distribution rights of Om Shanti Om to Eros International for Rs 75 crores as against the production cost of Rs 35 crores.

The profit that he earned from the deal was apart from the remuneration of Rs 5 crores that he took as the lead in the movie. His further business commitments to his Indian Premier League (IPL) team Kolkata Knight Riders and his stint on TV as the host of reality quiz show Kya Aap Paanchvi Pass Se Tez Hain this year have kept him off the big screen.

Shah Rukh has also been kept busy with his ongoing world tour — "Temptations Reloaded".

"It’s very important for every actor to diversify and Shah Rukh is doing the same — exploring possibilities in other fields. He has all the qualities of an all-rounder. If he is cutting down on movies, it’s a good thing. This way, his fans would get to watch him do more quality cinema," trade analyst Taran Adarsh says.

"This is a fantastic phase for him. After Amitabh Bachchan, he is the only actor who has an incredible career graph and I’m sure that he’ll be seen on the big screen for a long time," he added. The actor is one among the few to have a huge fan following in Bollywood. Even his colleagues can’t stop raving about him.

"I’m a huge Shah Rukh fan. I’ve always been one and even he knows that. I admire him since his earliest films and I’d like to see a lot more of him on the screen," Priyanka Chopra, who starred with him in Don, says.

His forthcoming releases are Billo Barber, Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, My Name is Khan, Dulha Mil Gaya, a sequel to Don - The Chase Begins Again and a voiceover in animation film Koochie Koochie Hota Hain.

Priyanka Chopra is sure to rock the whole bollywood in an adult film. But hold on your imaginations as the film Fashion which has her in the lead has been engraved with an ‘A’ certificate.  

Madhur bhandarkar who is the director of this film is unperturbed by the certification and justified his film as a perfect entertainer for the people who are aged about 15 years.  

Already the promos of the film are out and are highlighting Priyanka and Kangana the most. The film is said to be revealing the truths of the fashion industry in India and abroad and some sources even reveal that a noted fashion house has threatened Madhur to need his career if he releases his film.  

But Madhur has evaded all the hurdles and is now ready with the final copy. He is eager to see the audience response on his latest controversial movie. Some scenes, dialogues will be filled with adult content, but will be essential to reveal some facts, he said.  

Priyanka’s last release was DRONA which flopped without a trace. The multiplexes in Mumbai and New Delhi are running with vacant seats while filming DRONA. 

So Priyanka is all set to rock the bollywood with fine acting skills, some skin show, on screen chemistry with her male co-star and the last but not the least as a sizzling hot girl with oomph and spice.

Salman has a huge fan following wherever he goes, with or without his shirt on. When he returned to Punjab to complete the shooting schedule of Heroes, the buzz his arrival generated in the small village of Gharuan was phenomenal.

The location for the song Mannata was at the Akalgarh Sahib Gurudwara. The crew arrived at 5.30 am and by 8 am, word had spread like wild fire. When Salman arrived at the location, the crowd went berserk!

Director Samir Karnik recalls, "The children climbed the walls of the Gurudwara just to get a glimpse of him, the effect he had on the people was amazing. I have never seen anything like this before. Salman’s presence was larger than life. Somehow, the entire village and the surrounding villages got news of the shoot and we had an army of people pushing at the gates to get in and watch the shoot, We had to call in the police to handle the crowd and soon, they were out numbered too. It was sheer madness!"

But the best was yet to come. When Salman alighted from the vanity van dressed as a Sikh man, complete with the turban and the beard, the people greeted him saying "satsriakal praji" as he walked by and he would greet them back in character with the Punjabi accent.

Samir says, "That is the power of his performance, people would ask the crew, ‘Who is this new actor?’ and on hearing that it was Salman, the look in their eyes was priceless. However, Salman did not restrict his role to just the look of his character. He ensured that the entire cast and crew abided with the basic rules of the Sikh faith, which included not smoking and that meant no cigarette packets were carried on location."

We can only hope that the cinema halls will see the same mad rush with the release of the film Heroes.