50 million followers but not a movie in 6 years: How some ‘actors’ are thriving even without film projects

They have more followers on Instagram than even Shah Rukh Khan or Aishwarya Rai, even though films are far and few in between. Decoding an odd Bollywood trend.

At 23, Jannat Zubair Rahmani is one of the most popular Indians on social media. She has an astounding 50 million Instagram followers, more than even superstars Shah Rukh Khan and Aishwarya Rai. Her Wikipedia page may describe her as an actor, but the last time Jannat was on the big screen was way back in 2018, when she had a cameo in Rani Mukerji's Hichki. She was 16 then. As an adult, Jannat has not worked in any film or appeared in a fiction show. Yet, thanks to Instagram and immense digital popularity, she is thriving in her career. And this isn't the story of Jannat alone. A number of actors popular on social media have realised that acting projects need not be their bread and butter.

Avneet Kaur, Jannat Zubair Rahmani, and Esha Gupta all are actors who are sporadic on the big screen but popular on social media.

Gen Z stars lead the way

Jannat's case may be an extreme one, but there are several other former child stars who are selective with the films, but sustain their popularity through social media. Avneet Kaur, 23, began her career on TV at 8, and was a household name by her teens. Since her debut as a lead actor in Tiku Weds Sheru in 2023, she has done only one more film, which released a full year ago. She has not appeared in a TV show since the pandemic began. Yet, her social media popularity keeps growing. She has 32 million followers on Instagram, and Virat Kohli's 'like' may have contributed only 5% of that.

These young actors grew up as the Instagram generation. They had verified accounts in their early teens and were already garnering more followers than Bollywood A-listers before they turned 18. To paraphrase what Bane said in The Dark Knight Rises, the Millennial stars adapted to Instagram, but these Gen Z were born with it, moulded by it. They leverage it like nobody else does. Case in point - Jannat and Avneet were among the only three Indians to meet Tom Cruise at the international premiere of Mission Impossible 8. No journalists or A-list actors were invited, but their social media clout made that possible.

Why actors are prioritising social media

Slowly and gradually, older, relatively more established actors have taken note, too. Take Esha Gupta, for instance. The former Miss India made her Bollywood debut with Jannat in 2012. Over the next 7 years, she appeared in 12 more films in Hindi and one each in Tamil and Telugu. But the 2019 release, One Day: Justice Delivered, was her last big-screen appearance. She has appeared in three web series since, but even the last of those - Aashram season 3 - was 3 years ago. Yet, her popularity on social media has only increased. With 19 million followers, she is an A-lister on Instagram.

Neha Sharma, of Chirutha and Crook fame, was last seen in a full-length role in Jogira Sara Ra Ra in 2023. In these two years, she has added 4 million Instagram followers without any film release. Niddhi Agerwal, once called Telugu cinema's next big thing, has acted in only eight films since her debut in 2017, the last of which was released in November 2022. Yet, her 30 million Instagram followers make her one of the top choices for brands on social media.

Digital marketers say that actors are simply prioritising what is actually their bread and butter. For most of these stars, earnings from social media and brands far exceed what movies or web series give them. Even active actors like Disha Patani earn more from social media. Industry sources say that the actor, who does 2-3 films a year, earns ₹5-6 crore from them, but social media and brands can net her five times that amount in a year. That disparity drives their choices.