In Bollywood, wealth often runs in families, as many of the industry’s biggest studios and production houses remain family-owned. Over the years, these ventures have evolved into large corporations, significantly increasing the wealth and influence of Bollywood’s prominent families. Leading this wealth hierarchy is a family worth an astonishing ₹10,000 crore, a figure that firmly establishes them as the wealthiest in the Hindi film industry, even without a major star in their ranks.

The recently released Hurun India Rich List 2024 highlights the wealthiest individuals and families across various industries. While names like Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani predictably dominated the list, Bollywood was not left far behind. Topping the industry’s ranks is the family of Bhushan Kumar, the head of the T-Series group of companies, with a combined net worth exceeding ₹10,000 crore (over $1.2 billion). This achievement dethrones families such as the Kapoors and Chopras, who had historically been considered Bollywood’s wealthiest.

For years, the Chopra family, led by Aditya Chopra of Yash Raj Films, held this distinction with an estimated wealth of ₹8000 crore, closely followed by Shah Rukh Khan’s family at ₹7500 crore. Meanwhile, Salman Khan’s family sits at around ₹3500 crore. Interestingly, families from the South Indian film industry, like the Akkinenis and the Allu-Konidela clan, reportedly surpass Salman’s family in terms of wealth. However, none have approached the level of financial success seen in the Kumar family.

The foundation of the Kumar family’s fortune was laid by Gulshan Kumar, who began humbly as a fruit vendor in Delhi. In the 1970s, he and his father transitioned to selling music cassettes, eventually launching the record label Super Cassettes, which later grew into T-Series. Today, T-Series is a multimedia empire, encompassing a massive movie studio, subsidiaries, and even an acting school in Noida. Bhushan Kumar himself is believed to contribute the majority of the family’s wealth, with his sisters Tulsi and Khushali Kumar and uncle Kishan Kumar adding to the total. Their rise from modest beginnings to unparalleled wealth marks a remarkable chapter in Bollywood’s history.