Is Shraddha Kapoor the most bankable Bollywood star today?

The curious phenomenon of Shraddha Kapoor who didn’t need launches and relaunches to become the audience’s favourite

In August this year, actor Shraddha Kapoor made national headlines—not for bagging a new role, but for surpassing Prime Minister Narendra Modi as India’s most-followed figure on social media, underscoring her broad appeal. This coincided with her film Stree 2’s monumental success, touted to be the highest-grossing Hindi film of all time, collecting nearly ₹600 crores at the Indian box office. Headlining this horror-comedy film franchise a second time following its successful debut in 2018 has cemented Kapoor as one of Bollywood’s most bankable stars—a relatable girl-next-door beyond just a pretty face that audiences can’t get enough of.

Two months after Stree 2's release, nearing its 50th day in theatres in India, Kapoor told NDTV, "It's great for the industry when any Hindi film does well." Despite reports that her film surpassed Pathaan (2023) and Jawan (2023) at the box office, the actor downplayed the comparison, saying, "It’s exciting to have a successful film, but even more exciting when the entire industry thrives."

In an industry that heavily relies on big names, Kapoor’s journey may seem unorthodox—even with her film lineage; she is the daughter of Shakti Kapoor and niece of the celebrated actor, Padmini Kolhapure. Kapoor has charted a distinct path, building her career on relatability and a calculated presence rather than relying on her family’s fame.

Taking steps—and missteps 

Brand ‘Shraddha Kapoor’ is elusive; choosing to maintain a low profile, she defies some of the key tenets of stardom in showbiz. Despite being one of the highest-paid female actors in India, her face isn’t plastered across every billboard, nor do we find her in campaigns and celebrity collaborations galore—a rarity for someone in her league. 

Moreover, despite belonging to a film family, Kapoor had a tepid launch in 2010 with Teen Patti, a Bollywood thriller featuring heavyweights like Amitabh Bachchan and British actor Ben Kingsley. Notwithstanding its star-studded cast, the film failed at the box office, and Kapoor’s debut act—which wasn’t of a lead character—was forgotten. A year later came the comic caper Luv ka the End (2011) produced by Aditya Chopra’s Yash Raj Films (YRF)—the first in a three-movie deal with the production giant that Kapoor bailed on by signing Mohit Suri’s Aashiqui 2 (2014). While the latter propelled her into stardom, it soured her relationship with YRF, keeping her from being cast in any of their future projects.

Few Bollywood newcomers dare to take a risk quite like the one Kapoor had taken. The YRF offer, known for its exclusive three-film deal, crafts a unique path for emerging talent—a carefully calibrated blend of being a stepping stone and a safety net. This deal provides fresh faces with multiple opportunities to prove their mettle under the storied YRF banner, a strategy that has launched the careers of actors like Anushka Sharma, Ranveer Singh, and Parineeti Chopra, each finding their footing and shaping their identities within the industry. 

In 2014, Kapoor appeared on the popular celebrity talk show Koffee with Karan, seated next to her Aashiqui 2 co-star Aditya Roy Kapur. Filmmaker-producer Karan Johar asked Kapoor if it was water under the bridge between her and Aditya Chopra, to which she diplomatically replied, "Well, I am just waiting for the day when he calls me and tells me, 'Shraddha, I want you in a film'. So, fingers crossed, that should happen soon." It’s 2024, and that day is yet to arrive.

The ‘relatable’ star

Kapoor, however, doesn’t seem to need Bollywood’s big banners—for instance, even Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions—to keep her stardom secure. According to senior film journalist Justin Rao, Kapoor had attained her peak and continued to ride it well after Aashiqui 2 by belting out one hit after another. “Aashiqui 2 spoke to the masses in the smaller centres (tier 1 and tier 2 cities in India), in terms of their ideas of love and romance, and Shraddha was at the centre of it all.” She immediately followed it up with films like Ek Villain (2014) with Sidharth Malhotra, which had a chart-topping soundtrack. Then came ABCD 2 (2015) with Varun Dhawan and Baaghi (2016) with Tiger Shroff. Soon after, in 2017, she had Half Girlfriend and OK Jaanu. “Every single year, for those few years, Shraddha delivered a hit—with Stree (2018) being the biggest one, of course. Her peak, from what I remember, was right up till Chhichhore (2019), and that cemented her position as an actress of the masses, which we can’t claim an Alia Bhatt is, and that has been proven with Jigra (2024). Deepika [Padukone] has her pull too, but Shraddha, during her peak, had a bigger pull,” reveals Rao.

The journalist recalls how, despite some box-office failures during her peak, Kapoor’s popularity remained unfazed. “I remember talking to film exhibitors and asking what this Shraddha craze is all about, and they said that in smaller centres, if there is a Shraddha Kapoor poster, people will flock to the theatres to watch her film, regardless of what it is,” says Rao.

Outside of her films, Kapoor is the quintessential girl-next-door whose airport looks aren’t elaborately planned fashion moments in international labels. Instead, she is seen in a kurta, sans make-up, making conversation with her fans and the paparazzi alike. “Today, when, say, Deepika is leaving the airport in her trenches and sunglasses, she will smile at the paps, pose for the cameras for a second, but won’t interact with them, and will then drive off in her car. She is unattainable. Alia, too, might make an appearance, say a word or two to the paparazzi, and smile at them. But Shraddha will speak to them in Marathi—in their own language. She will respond to her followers on Instagram. So she then sits right between a Deepika and an Alia in the larger scheme of things,” explains Rao. Her image, therefore, is not one of aspiration, but of relatability—and actor Pankaj Tripathi vouches for it. 

Her co-actor in the Stree franchise, Tripathi emphasises Kapoor’s hard-working demeanour, and her respectful and grounded nature, both on and off the set. “She’s incredibly level-headed, sincere, and knows how to show her concern for her co-actors,” he tells The Established. “She’s quite unique that way. Despite being the star that she is, the kid doesn’t behave like that, and doesn’t have starry tantrums at all,” says Tripathi, adding that she never forgets to show her gratitude for opportunities that come her way.

The making of a star

Kapoor being the central and biggest face on Stree 2’s posters had only 63 minutes of screentime out of its 149 minutes of running time. This stands in sharp contrast against Alia Bhatt’s Jigra—released mere weeks after Stree 2—where, despite her being in every frame of the film, is said to have had the “worst” opening for the actor since 2014.

For Kapoor to have achieved this scale of popularity is impressive, especially considering she hasn’t starred in a single film with any of the Khans of Bollywood in her 14-year-long career. She isn’t widely favoured by film critics either. As critic and screenwriter Raja Sen points out her “middling filmography in terms of quality, despite her bonafide superhits,” though he did appreciate her performance in Vishal Bhardwaj’s Haider (2014). “Haider works because Bhardwaj is clever enough to not give Shraddha a demanding role and gifted enough camouflage to her performance. But I have also seen her atrocious performances in films like Ek Villain, and I am confident her fan following isn’t based on her acting chops,” adds Sen.

How did Kapoor, then, inch past her peers in the popularity race? “You see, Shraddha was in the industry when Deepika was delivering one hit after another with three back-to-back Bhansali films, [plus] Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani (2013), and Chennai Express (2013). But Shraddha didn’t even have a big Dharma or Yash Raj film; neither was she working with the stars, like Alia or Anushka [Sharma] were. However, what she did was she worked with the younger crop of actors who weren’t stars, but popular—like Varun, Tiger, Arjun [Kapoor], Sidharth, Aditya—and those films were such huge hits that she was the one who emerged as the star from among them, more than her male co-stars did,” says Rao. And the gamble paid off.

So, when writer Niren Bhatt was putting together the screenplay for Stree 2, his job was made easy knowing it was being steered by Kapoor. Playing the character of a mysterious, unnamed woman with supernatural prowess in the first part, Bhatt knew he wanted to answer questions about Kapoor’s character’s origins in the second. Writing to her potential and personality off-screen then helped him in the process. “The character was customised to fit her. I treated her like a ninja warrior who fights with a rope dart [her braid in the film]. I thought that would be the perfect representation of the feminine source of power that she represents, and Shraddha can achieve that easily, considering how she can morph into any character she wants to,” says Bhatt.

He calls her a diva, a supermodel, and a familiar face all rolled into one, and that is what, according to Bhatt, has worked in her favour. “The way you see her on Instagram or on camera is how she is off it as well, and I can tell you not everyone in this business is that way,” says the writer, to which Sen adds, “In contrast to the other actresses/influencers in her generation, Kapoor hasn’t been surgically sculpted and isn’t hampered by some insufferable accent…which, as we realise looking at her contemporaries on the scene today, is much rarer than it should be.”

However, Sen isn’t quite sure about why her astronomical social media following hasn’t translated into her bagging a big-league brand. “The fact that she doesn’t have a mega-crore cola deal actually makes me wonder how many of her 90 million-plus followers are real, and how many of those vociferous online fan clubs are real,” says the critic.

Nonetheless, that might not necessarily loosen her hold over her stardom, and neither can box office patterns be compared from actor to actor, according to Sen. Fourteen years since her debut film Teen Patti, today, at the age of 37—a stage at which male actors in the Hindi film industry conventionally have already touched their peaks and have subsequently seen a downward spiral—Kapoor still might be able to keep her momentum going. “I do think that since Shraddha has had some significant successes, she will mostly be considered, if not a good performer, but a lucky one. As you may imagine, that sort of tag goes a long way in this superstitious industry,” says Sen.

Shraddha Kapoor’s brand value 

Kapoor has steadfastly held on to her image of being an “accessible star” by associating with brands that appeal to an upwardly mobile, middle-income-earning Indian. From being the face of Lipton green tea, AJIO, and Japanese fitness brand Asics, to investing in young companies like the cosmetics brand MyGlamm, home textile brand Bella Casa, and co-founding Palmonas, a demi-fine jewellery brand, Kapoor has carefully curated the labels she wears.

At the NDTV World Summit 2024, Kapoor praised Palmonas for offering affordable, everyday jewellery that’s stylish, durable, and budget-friendly, unlike imitation pieces that deteriorate or cause skin issues. She noted she was wearing Palmonas herself, aligning with her audience’s needs. Her message was clear: Kapoor is her audience; she is one among them and faces the same problems as they do—and it’s a well-calculated move, according to Sainath Saraban, former National Creative Director of advertising giant Leo Burnett.

According to Saraban, Kapoor can—if she wishes to—endorse any brand of her choice, including top international ones. But she hasn’t because a big part of her appeal lies in her rootedness in an Indian ethos that ordains one to build something for one’s own people. When Saraban watched the actor talk about her jewellery brand at the NDTV event, to him “it sounded like she was trying to create an image of an entrepreneur, enhance her brand and conserve her presence, much like a Reese Witherspoon, Jessica Alba, and Gwyneth Paltrow.”

It would then be anomalous for Kapoor to suddenly front a brand that her audience can’t afford, like a luxury designer that her peers might endorse. This, however, contradicts her move to purchase a luxury car—like a Lamborghini she bought in 2023—that she was recorded by the paparazzi as bringing home. “It’s not like she is not this person—humble and down-to-earth. Of course, actors are media-managed and media-trained, but whatever your image is, somewhere you are that, and then it is amplified for the actor’s brand, box office, and audience. But she always had been trolled for her relationships and break-ups with Farhan Akhtar or Aditya Roy Kapur, and also for being a bad actor, especially when Deepika and Alia were at the peak of their careers,” points out Rao. 

Over the years and with Kapoor’s several hits, the trolling has, however, been softened. Moreover, while her peers might not escape the online criticism unscathed the way she did upon making a move that was seemingly incongruent with her brand image, that can also be attributed to her “downplaying her family background, which works in her favour,” according to Saraban. Rao corroborates: “An Alia Bhatt is a lot more in the public eye than Shraddha, even though both of them come from film families; the way in which people perceive an Alia is that she is more privileged. Everything she does will be looked at from that angle. So, if after [the box-office failure of] Jigra, Bhatt had bought a car, social media echo chambers wouldn’t have forgiven her and said, ‘Look, how everyone from the film’s team is apologetic about its failure, but here she is buying expensive new things’. But Shraddha gets away with all of that because people think she is in her own lane, doing her own thing,” says Rao, underlining how the actors garner very different kinds of attention that can’t always be compared.

But this image, in no way, limits the commercial opportunities afforded to Kapoor. “One of the things that she has done well is she has chosen her lane. And if that means not being a part of everything, so be it,” says Saraban. According to him, her appeal might attract a specific young demographic but doesn’t elude the rest either. “She’s like a Cadbury’s chocolate, for example. She is a role model to her own age bracket, but can be aspirational to the younger lot, and loved by the elders. It’s truly a sweet spot.”

The fact that Kapoor feels equally at ease with being on the cover of glossy magazines and on the interview seat of a publication like Lallantop—which largely caters to a peri-urban, purely Hindi-speaking audience—is commendable too, according to Saraban. “She is also not all over the place and has limited exposure compared to others, which makes her much more coveted in some ways,” he points out.

Kapoor has mastered the balance between enigma and accessibility, earning a loyal fanbase that forgives her flaws because she feels relatable—frailties and all. With nearly 15 years in the industry, she remains at her peak, seemingly unaffected by competition, as she has carved her own lane. It is where, every weekend, she connects with her 93.9 million followers on Instagram (at the time of the publication of this story) over a cup of chai, a routine untouched by her record-breaking success.

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