Priyanka Chopra, Salman Khan among Variety's list of 500 influential business leaders

By Gurpreet Kaur

on July 23, 2018

Bollywood stars Priyanka Chopra and Salman Khan, are certainly among the country’s most popular actors. Now they have also earned a spot on the Variety's list of 500 influential business leaders. Variety500 is an index of the 500 most influential names, who are shaping the global $2 trillion entertainment industry. The leaders are selected through the Variety editorial board, which conducts extensive research for its selections over the previous 12 months.

Other Indians who made it to the prestigious list include, directors Karan Johar and Aditya Chopra, Balaji Telefilms’ honcho Ekta Kapoor, Essel Group Chairman Subhash Chandra and the Ambani brothers, amongst other names.

According to the list, Priyanka had envisioned an engineering career but changed direction after winning the 2000 Miss World Pageant. Describing the actress, Variety said, “She stars in ABC’s Quantico, which will return for a third season. The network is also developing a comedy with her to executive produce about a former Bollywood star. Chopra voiced Kaa in 2016’s live-action Jungle Book and starred in the Baywatch film."

Apart from her acting prowess, Variety also mentions her three singles, films under her production company Purple Pebble Pictures and her philanthropic work as the UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for Child Rights.

For Salman, Variety penned, “Unlike his contemporary Khans whose fan bases are staid by comparison, every Salman release generates mass hysteria across India, a frenzy surpassed only by the fans of South Indian superstar Rajinikanth." It also mentions Salman's worldwide streaming deal with Amazon Prime for rights to his catalog and upcoming titles.

Well, Salman and Priyanka are also reuniting on screen for Ali Abbas Zafar's Bharat, which is slated for an Eid 2019 release. So the two big names will certainly rule the charts, considering their global impact.

Interestingly, Variety termed Karan as "one of the most visible faces of the Indian entertainment industry", while Mukesh Ambani is credited for his "corporation’s $30 billion investment in Jio" for tapping into the "vast number of people who consume media on their mobile devices."