For a 23-year period from 1994 to 2016, the three Khans reigned supreme at the Indian box office. During this time, 20 of their films ended up as the highest-grossing Indian films of the year, starting from Hum Aapke Hain Koun right down to Dangal. The train was only halted by the unexpected success of Baahubali. In the interim, only thrice did a non-Khan film reign supreme at the Indian box office. One was Dhoom 2 in 2006. The two others starred the same man, who began as a regional star and eventually rose to become the only man to beat the Khans in their prime.
The 60-year-old who beat the Khans
The list of the number 1 Indian films each year from the 90s to mid-2000s reads like a roll call of the Khans’ biggest hits. Hum Aapke Hain Koun, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Raja Hindustani, Dil To Pagal Hai, Hum Saath-Saath Hain, Mohabbatein, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, Devdas, Kal Ho Naa Ho, and Veer Zaara formed an 11-year unbeaten streak for the Khans. In 2005, the streak ended even as Salman’s No Entry broke the bank. While No Entry earned ₹75 crore and Aamir’s Mangal Pandey grossed ₹52 crore, they were beaten by Rajinikanth’s comeback film, Chandramukhi. The psychological thriller grossed ₹90 crore worldwide, marking the Tamil superstar’s triumphant return after a few lukewarm years.
But Rajini wasn’t done. At 55, he was beginning his second innings at the box office. Five years later, he pulled off a bigger coup. In 2010, Salman gave his biggest hit in Dabangg, which grossed ₹221 crore. Shah Rukh’s My Name Is Khan was also an overseas hit, bringing in ₹220 crore worldwide. Rajinikanth’s Enthiran topped both of them, with a worldwide gross of ₹283 crore. At 60, Rajini gave the highest-grossing film of the year for a second time. Interestingly, he repeated this feat with 2.0 in 2018. However, by then, the three Khans were past their prime. The films 2.0 beat were Aamir’s Thugs of Hindostan, Salman’s Race 3, and SRK’s Zero.
Rajinikanth’s continued Midas touch at the box office
This resurgence of Rajinikanth, the superstar, has continued into his 70s. The actor gave one of his biggest hits – Jailer – in 2023, minting over ₹600 crore at the box office. At 74, he is still leading big action films that gross hundreds of crores. He will be next seen in Lokesh Kanagaraj’s Coolie, which is scheduled to release worldwide on 14 August 2025.
