This year, Diljit Dosanjh‘s popular Dil-Luminati tour to Allu Arjun‘s sequel Pushpa 2: The Rule caused waves in the world of showbiz. We look at the five personalities that made the biggest noise with their projects in the year 2024. Here’s our list of the top newsmakers.

1. Diljit Dosanjh: With due respects to Arjit Singh, Diljit Dosanjh proved himself the no. 1 live performer of India. Wherever his concerts went the fans made as much noise as the entertainer. In 2024, Dosanjh proved himself the master on stage. As if it wasn’t enough to have his fans swooning and screaming, there were the authorities doing a Pink Floyd on Diljit: we don’t need no education, we don’t need no thought control… the more they clamped down the more popular the Taylor Swift of India became. The turban rocked in 2024.

2. Allu Arjun: The man who is destined to create the Rs 1,000 crore club at the Indian box office is, at the moment, the biggest brand in show business. I recently spoke to one of Allu’s A-list colleagues who described him as the biggest entertainer of Asia. Allu wasn’t allowed to enjoy his monster-success. He made news of the undesirable kind when he was pulled up and hauled over the coals when a fan was killed in a mob frenzy. Roses with the thrones, Allu Arjun. Deal with it.

3. Karan Johar: Karan Johar is a newsmaker every year. This year, things were going smoothly when he suddenly decided to partner with Adar Poonawala. A case of Hum ‘Deal’ De Chuke ‘Serum’… Or something like that. Close friends for years Karan and Adar decided to make it official, with Mrs Poonawala’s consent. She is a very close friend of Karan and was instrumental in the deal. Watch out for many mountainous moves in 2025.

4. Vikrant Massey: I wasn’t aware Vikrant had such a massive fan following. When he suddenly announced his retirement, there was a widespread outcry. I almost expected some fans to immolate themselves. Happily, he retracted his retirement plans and all was well in the world. Workwise, Vikrant kept us on our toes with four releases this year. Govinda has much to answer for.

5. Kartik Aaryan: So okay, Chandu Champion didn’t reach the expected numbers. But the film fetched this diligent outsider the sort of attention and respectability his colleagues can only dream of. With Bhool Bhulaiya 3 creating new records, Kartik has raised his remuneration to Rs 50 crores, making him one of the highest paid actors of his generation. The sky seems the limit in 2025.