How Zayed Khan went from 'hero with 1 hit, 13 flops' to ₹1500 cr net worth; is richer than Allu Arjun, Prabhas, Ranbir

Despite a not-so-successful film career, Zayed Khan has a reported net worth of ₹1500 crore, higher than many big stars.

When Zayed Khan made his debut in Bollywood with Chura Liyaa Hai Tumne, he was dubbed the next big thing. A second lead act with Shah Rukh Khan in Main Hoon Na further solidified that claim. Yet, this was to be Zayed's only box office success. A spate of disappointments and an eventual decline in movie offers followed. Yet, Zayed rebuilt himself as a businessman, eventually becoming even richer than many of his more successful contemporaries. (

Zayed Khan has a reported net worth of ₹1500 crore.

Zayed Khan's film career

Son of actor-filmmaker Sanjay Khan and nephew of Feroz Khan, Zayed made his debut in films in 2003 when he was 22. Over the next two years, he appeared in supporting roles in Main Hoon Na and Dus. Both films did well at the box office, with Main Hoon Na a hit and Dus an above-average grosser. Yet, as a solo hero, Zayed had not tasted success. And he did not in the future as well. From 2005-12, Zayed starred in 10 more films, all of which crashed at the box office. These included high-profile titles like Fight Club, Mission Istanbul, and Tezz. Zayed's final film was the delayed 2015 release, Sharafat Gayi Tel Lene, also a box office disaster. In 2017, he returned to acting on the TV show Haasil. By the time of his hiatus, Zayed had worked in 15 films, of which just one was a hit, 13 flops, and one an average grosser.

Zayed Khan's businesses and net worth

But even as his acting career dwindled, Zayed made the smart call to diversify his savings and earnings. He used his business management degree to good use and invested in various startups and businesses over the years. In 2024, ET Now reported that the actor had a staggering net worth of around ₹1500 crore. In a subsequent interview, Zayed neither confirmed nor denied the figure but merely chuckled at it. If the number is accurate, it would make Zayed richer than several current stars like Ranbir Kapoor ( ₹550 crore), Prabhas ( ₹400 crore), Allu Arjun ( ₹350 crore), and Ram Charan ( ₹1300 crore).

The secret behind Zayed Khan's wealth

In an interview with Subhojit Ghosh, Zayed was asked if he has any financial advice and the actor just said that one should 'live within your means'. He added, "There is a saying, ‘If you can afford a Ferrari, buy a Mercedes, and if you can afford a Mercedes, buy a Fiat’. We are in the age of social media, where your image is… You’re probably living a life you cannot afford. Some people are doing really well, but 80% of them are not. They’re becoming broke. They have EMIs, debt, and then they do stupid things in order to rectify stupid things. It’s a rabbit hole."

Calling peer pressure to show off 'terrible, obscene, criminal', the actor added, "I don't know if this is the way forward for youngsters, but grow a spine, have character."

Earlier this year, Zayed shared on Instagram his plans to return to acting, but he did not reveal much about his comeback project. The actor has said that he will continue to balance his business interests and acting.