Lights, camera, disparity: Men still dominate brand valuation

They rule the red carpet, but brand charts still tell a different story. India’s top female celebrities may be upping the endorsement game but, not surprisingly, continue to trail behind the male counterparts. A deep dive shows the numbers are indeed changing, but just not fast enough.

- Lata Jha

India’s top 25 celebrities, a mix of movie stars and sports-persons, amassed brand value of $2 billion in 2024, increasing by over 8.6% from the previous year, according to Kroll, an independent provider of global financial and risk advisory solutions. But, in terms of diversity, only nine women made it to the top 25 celebrities' list, a slight improvement over last year’s eight.

At four, Alia Bhatt is the top ranking female celebrity with a brand value of $116.4 million, while Deepika Padukone ranks seven, with brand value of $102.9 million.

The share has largely remained unchanged over the years.