The three Khans ruled the Indian box office for 23 years, from 1994 to 2016. From Hum Aapke Hain Koun to Dangal, twenty of their movies were the best-selling Indian films of the year throughout this period. Baahubali's unanticipated success was the only thing that stopped the train. In the meanwhile, a non-Khan movie dominated the Indian box office only three times. Dhoom 2, which was released in 2006, was one example. The same individual, who started out as a local celebrity and eventually rose to become the only person to ever defeat the Khans in their peak, was featured in the other two films.

The 60-year-old who conquered the Khans

From the 1990s to the mid-2000s, the list of the top Indian films each year reads as a roll call of the Khans' greatest hits. The Khans went undefeated for 11 years with movies like Hum Aapke Hain Koun, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Raja Hindustani, Dil To Pagal Hai, Hum Saath-Saath Hain, Mohabbatein, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, Devdas, Kal Ho Naa Ho, and Veer Zaara. Despite the financial success of Salman's No Entry in 2005, the streak came to an end. Rajinikanth's return film, Chandramukhi, surpassed the box office success of Aamir's Mangal Pandey, which made ₹52 crore, and No Entry, which made ₹75 crore. With a global take of ₹90 crores, the psychological thriller signaled the Tamil megastar's successful comeback after a few underwhelming years.

However, Rajini wasn't finished. At 55, he was starting his second innings at the box office. He orchestrated a larger coup five years later. With Dabangg in 2010, Salman had his biggest hit, bringing in ₹221 crore. My Name Is Khan, starring Shah Rukh, earned ₹220 crore worldwide and was a smash overseas. With a global gross of ₹283 crore, Rajinikanth's Enthiran outperformed them both. The film that made the most money that year was once again Rajini's, who was sixty years old. He replicated this accomplishment in 2018 with 2.0, which is noteworthy. But by that time, the three Khans had passed their prime. Salman's Race 3, SRK's Zero, and Aamir's Thugs of Hindostan were the movies that 2.0 outscored.

Rajinikanth's uninterrupted Midas touch at the box office

The star Rajinikanth's comeback has persisted throughout his seventies. In 2023, the actor starred in Jailer, one of his biggest hits, which brought in over Rs 600 crore at the box office. He continues to helm major blockbuster action movies that generate hundreds of crores at the age of seventy-four. In Coolie, which is set to be released worldwide on August 14, 2025, he will next be seen in Lokesh Kanagaraj's film.

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