THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Bollywood actor Salman Khan has emerged as the richest Indian celebrity for the third time in a row, according to a Forbes list.According to the publication, Khan earned Rs 253.25 crores through his films, TV appearances and brand endorsements between October 1, 2017, and September 30, 2018 (period under consideration).

Indian cricket skipper Virat Kohli is at number two position after minting Rs 228 crores. He is the first sportsperson to make it to the spot, regularly dominated by a showbiz personality.

Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar at the third spot with Rs 185 crores.

Mammootty from Malayalam

Malayalam ace actor Mammootty is the only Malayali in the top 50. He earned a total of Rs 18 crores and is at 49th position. Nayanthara is another Malayali in the list at 69th position with earnings of Rs 15.17 crores.

With Rs 112.8 crores, Deepika Padukone is No 4 on the list as the highest-earning woman celebrity. The "Padmaavat" star has become the first woman to break into the top five positions since the inception of the list in 2012.

With no release during the period under review, Shah Rukh Khan slipped from his number two position to No 13 after raking in Rs 560 million this year.

Aamir Khan ranks sixth with Rs 97.5 crores, closely followed by his "Thugs of Hindostan" co-star Amitabh Bachchan at No 7 with Rs 96.17 crores as earnings.

Ranveer Singh is number eight with Rs 84.67 crores and Ajay Devgn ranks tenth on the list with Rs 74 crores.

Cricketers Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Sachin Tendulkar have bagged the fifth (Rs 101.77 crores) and ninth (Rs 80 crores) positions.

There are 15 South Indian celebrities in the list. Musician A.R. Rahman is highest earning South Indian at 11th position with Rs 66.75 crores. Rajnikanth is at 15th with earnings of Rs 50 crores. Vijay and Vikram is at 26th and 29th with earnings of Rs 30.33 crores and Rs 26 crores respectively. Vijay Sethupathi and Suriya shared the 34th position with earnings of Rs 23.67 crores each.