Forbes magazine has released its annual list of billionaires for the year 2026. The list presents a new equation of wealth and influence on a global scale. This year’s list includes 4,000 influential people from around the world, including over 300 Indians. On the entertainment front, a major figure in the South Indian film industry and media has bagged the title of India’s richest filmmaker for the fourth year in a row. The net worth of the person we are talking about is Bollywood filmmaker Aditya Chopra, Shah Rukh Khan And more than Karan Johar.

Kalanidhi Maran, chairman of Sun TV Network and owner of Sun Pictures, is currently India’s richest filmmaker. According to the latest Forbes report, Maran’s net worth is $2.8 billion (approx. 26,000 crores). A major part of his vast empire comes from his production house, Sun Pictures. A leading figure in Tamil cinema, the company has produced blockbusters like “Enthiran,” “Petta,” “Beast,” “Jailor,” and “Coolie.” Future projects include Rajinikanth’s “Jailor 2” and a big project with Atlee, which has already created a buzz in the trade market.

Kalanidhi Maran’s wealth can be estimated from the fact that his net worth is more than the combined wealth of some of the biggest names in Bollywood. Maran has a net worth of 26,000 crores (approximately $2.6 billion), while the combined wealth of Bollywood giants Shah Rukh Khan (7,500 crores), Aditya Chopra (7,700 crores) and Karan Johar (2,000 crores) is less than Maran’s. Maran also surpassed Ronnie Screwvala, the only Indian filmmaker to make the Forbes list with a net worth of Rs 1.6 billion ($1.6 billion).

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Kalanidhi Maran, son of former Union Minister Murasoli Maran, started his career in the 1980s with his family’s small publishing business. In 1993, he founded the Sun TV Network, considered by Forbes to be a regional television giant with 37 channels, reaching over 140 million homes in India. Beyond television, their investments are in newspapers, radio and DTH services. They also have a strong presence in the world of sports, having three cricket teams: Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL, Sunrisers Eastern Cape in the SAT20 and Sunrisers Leeds in The Hundred.

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