#9 – Preity Zinta (Net Worth: $10 million)

Preity was born in 1975 in the Shimla district. Growing up was especially tough for her, as her father was an officer in the Indian Army. Her family went by a certain code of discipline which you can imagine being tough for a self-acclaimed tomboy. Tragedy would strike the family early on in Preity’s life when her father and mother were in a car accident. Luckily her mother survived the incident but was left severely injured, but sadly her father was killed. This became a turning point in her life as she was forced to mature and help take care of her two siblings. To help cope with the loss of losing her father, Preity would begin reading the work of William Shakespeare which significantly helped with making the decision to graduate college with an English honors degree. She would go on to attain a postgraduate degree in criminal psychology but didn’t put it to use as she began modeling. While hanging out with one of her friends, she met a film director who would persuade her to audition for a chocolate commercial. While she was hesitant, she eventually agreed to audition and landed the role instantly, thus her career in Bollywood began.

While she was going on an audition with a friend, Preity was approached by Shekhar Kapur who saw her audition and immediately insisted she become an actress. She nailed the audition but the movie she auditioned for would soon get cancelled due to lack of funding. But that didn’t halt her career since Kapur would soon find out and recommend Preity to director of the movie Dil Se…, which ended up being Preity’s breakout film, as it starred none other than Shahrukh Khan himself. Dil Se… would go on to win Preity the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut. With this amount of early recognition she had no trouble landing future roles and would even go on to win the Filmfare Award for Best Actress in 2003 for her performance in the romantic drama Kal Ho Naa Ho. She continued doing movies in India and then took her career international in 2008 when she flew to Canada to shoot the movie Heaven on Earth, a movie which won her the Silver Hugo Award for Best Actress.

Outside of acting, Preity is a social activist and has even written columns for BBC News Online. In 2003 she won the Godfrey Phillips National Bravery Award for speaking out as a witness in court against the Indian mafia.

#8 – Mallika Sherawat (Net Worth: $10 million)

Mallika’s career started when she was young and began starring in commercials. She worked her way up to music videos until she finally grabbed a small role in the movie Jeena Sirf Merre Liye. She is most well known in India for her portrayal in the movie Khwahish, which turned her to a sex symbol almost overnight. Her most critically successful role would be in the movie Welcome in 2007. Since then she has attempted to crossover from Bollywood to Hollywood, starring in American films like Hisss and Politics of Love. She was also in a season four episode of Hawaii Five-O which films in Hawaii and airs on CBS. In 2013 she starred in the debut season of the India version of The Bachelorette which had guys attempting to win her heart over. Throughout her career she has become very famous and has won several awards, though she is nominated more than she wins.

Mallika was born Reema Lamba in 1976, but would go by the name Mallika (which means Empress) so she wouldn’t be compared to another actress named Reema. While most of her family was against her career choice, her mother very much supported her decision to become an actress and with that Mallika would use her mother’s maiden name (Sherawat) as her stage name. Mallika received a degree in philosophy from Delhi University and her family wanted her to get a job in that field but she was much more interested in Bollywood. While it was difficult for her to not have her families support, they would eventually change their minds after seeing how talented she is.

#7 – Dimple Kapadia (Net Worth: $10 million)

Dimple’s career began when she was 16 years old. Raj Kapoor, who is the grandfather of Karisma Kapoor, gave Dimple her first role in the teen romance movie Bobby. Even though she was just 16 she would go on to marry Indian actor Rajesh Khanna. Just like Karisma, Dimple too came from an acting family. Both of her parents were famous actors in India, but luckily for Dimple, she had an easier time being able to stand out on her own and establish herself as a leading lady in Bollywood cinema in the ‘80s. Dimple realized early on that if she were to become a successful actress she would need to take her career serious and avoid being typecast. This resulted in her taking on a wide variety of different roles, ranging from comedy to drama. Throughout the past three decades she has starred in some of the most successful films, resulting in her winning numerous Nation Film awards, the first of which happened in 1993 with the movie Rudaali.

Dimple grew up with two very successful parents and while it may seem like she has the perfect life, it wasn’t always that way. Her relationship with her first husband would soon diminish after they had gotten married. She had gotten pregnant early on and rumors were circulating that her husband forbid her from continuing her acting career, though she denied the rumors intensively. They would later get a divorce after Dimple finally came to the realization that she was unhappy. For some time she was very bitter towards her ex-husband, though things seem to have gotten better between them now as she has made public appearances with him and even campaigned for his election.

These days her life is a lot happier and her two children have grown up to become actresses themselves.

#6 – Karisma Kapoor (Net Worth: $12 million)

Just because her last name has the word poor in it, doesn’t mean that it’s at all true. Karisma is considered one of the best actresses in India history. Her career began when she was only seventeen years old, in the 1991 movie Prem Qaidi. During the ‘90s Kapoor would dominate the box office and become the best-selling actress of that time. She is also considered by most to be a fashion icon and Bollywood sex symbol. In 1996 she starred in the movie Raja Hindustani which earned her an award for Best Actress. She would go on to star in films like Zubeidaa and Fiza which would earn her numerous other awards. In 2004 she took a break from acting to focus on her time on her new marriage but returned to the big screen in 2012 with the movie Dangerous Ishhq. Even though the movie was considered a box office disaster, critics still praised Kapoor’s wonderful acting.

Born in 1974, Kapoor descends from a long line of famous actors and actresses. Both her parents, their siblings, and their parents as well, all have a connection to theater or film. So it was no surprise that Kapoor herself would go on to become famous. Because of her famous relatives, people in the film industry made it increasingly difficult for Kapoor to stand out. Her first few movies did not do very well financially, but she stuck with it and finally in 1995 her hard work paid off with the release of the comedy Coolie No. 1. The movie would become a cult classic and the highest-grossing Bollywood movie.

#5 – Ileana D’Cruz (Net Worth: $14 million)

The beautiful Ileana D’Cruz was born on November 1st, 1987 in Mumbai. When she turned 10 years old her family moved to a town called Goa and her mother earned a job working at a hotel. When she was fifteen the manager at the hotel stated Ileana had a pretty face and smile and should consider getting into modeling. Though she was initially reluctant, she eventually changed her mind and began doing photo shoots. Ileana would begin to catch the attention of several television producers who offered her parts in commercials which lead into offers for film. She began taking acting classes and even landed a few small roles in movies. Her film debut happened in 2006 with the movie Devadasu which would go on to gross over $140 million and turn Ileana to an overnight star, earning her several award nominations.

Since then, Ileana, whose name derives from Greek mythology, has gone on to star in several full-length feature films. Though her career has its up and down moments, she is overall a very gifted actress who tends to steal the spotlight in all of her movies. She is considered a Kollywood and Bollywood sex icon and even posed backless for a PETA advertisement, which demotes the wearing of animal fur.

#4 – Kajol Devgan (Net Worth: $16 million)

She is known mononymously as Kajol, making her India’s Cher or Madonna. After dropping out of high school to pursue acting, Kajol would land her first role in the romantic drama Bekhudi. Though it was a box office bomb, Kajol wasn’t fazed by its failure and continued acting. It’s a good thing she did too, as between 1995 – 2001 she would star in more than five back-to-back box office smashes, earning praise from both critics and audiences alike. She took a five year break from acting but would return in 2006 with a major comeback by starring in the romantic thriller Fanaa. Her continued success as an actress has earned her five Best Actress awards at Filmfare, more so than any other actress in history.

Kajol was born in Mumbai in the year 1974. Her family is composed of people who are also in the film industry. Her late father, who died in 2008 from a heart attack, was a film producer and director. Her mother was also an actress, as well as her sister. She has multiple aunts, uncles, grandparents and cousins all working in the film industry so it’s no surprise that Kajol would become so successful. During school she described herself as a very mischievous child and would often get away with being very impulsive. By the time she was 16 she was already a top notch dancer and knew she wanted to live her life on screen. During filming of her first movie she had planned on returning to school during the summer but ultimately decided dropping out was the best, a decision she still stands by to this day.

#3 – Amrita Rao (Net Worth: $20 million)

Though she describes herself as very liberal, the well-rounded Amrita was born on 1981 to a very conservative and traditional Hindu family. She speaks four languages total, one being English. Amrita’s father owns an advertising agency and with his help she was able to nab some commercial roles while she studied at Sophia College, where she would eventually graduate from with a degree in psychology. She would then go on to land movie roles, the first being the 2002 hit Ab Ke Baras which earned Amrita the award for Best Female Debut at Filmfare. Other films under her belt include Heyy Babyy, Life Partner, Shaurya, Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai and the popular romantic comedy Vivah. She has such a bubbly and outgoing personality that she is considered by most to be the quintessential girl next door.

#2 – Ameesha Patel (Net Worth: $30 million)

Ameesha’s career began in 2000 when she starred in the blockbuster Kaho Naa… Pyaar Hai and by the time 2001 rolled around she was already one of Bollywood’s top actresses. Born in 1975, Ameesha is highly regarded as one of India’s sexiest woman and is constantly receiving awards for film and acting in some of the highest grossing Hindi movies. In 2011 she even founded her own production company which of course helps with her wealth.

Born in Mumbai, Ameesha was already a trained dancer by the time she was five years old. She grew up in a very intelligent family, with her parents and grandparents being very prominent lawyers and politicians. Ameesha herself is actually a genius with an extremely high IQ. After she finished high school she travelled overseas to Massachusetts to study Economics at Tufts University. When she returned to India she immediately accepted an offer to star in the movie Kaho Na… which I already discussed earlier. The film itself was very successful and won Ameesha several awards in the Best Debut Actress category.

For three years between 2003 – 2006, Ameesha’s career hit a rock and the films she starred in went on to do very poorly in the box office. Though when 2007 came she decided to renew her image and she began posing in bikinis for magazines which helped for about a year. Her career would reach a low point again until 2011 when she would launch a very successful production company. Since then she has continued to produce movies and co-star in them.

#1 – Aishwarya Rai Bachchan (Net Worth: $35 million)

Pageant winner of Miss World 1994, Aishwarya Rai is regarded by many to be an extremely beautiful woman. Born during November in the year 1973, this Indian beauty has had a career in film since the late ‘90s. Her debut film was in 1997 with a movie titled Iruvar followed by Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya that same year. Though her first critically acclaimed role wouldn’t be until the next year when she starred in the romantic drama Jeans, a film which earned her two Best Actress awards at Filmfare. Though her greatest years had yet to come, as between the decade of 2000 – 2010, Aishwarya has starred in some high profile movies, such as Dhoom 2, Enthiran, Chokher Bali, Hamara Dil Aapke Paas Hai, the historical romance Jodhaa Akbar and the movie Dil Ka Rishta which was co-written by her mother and co-produced by her older brother. In 2004 she travelled to Great Britain to star in the musical Bride and Prejudice and then to the United States to star alongside Steve Martin in the spy comedy Pink Panther 2. After her ten-year streak she took a long five year hiatus from acting, but returned in 2015 to star in the crime thriller Jazbaa.

Growing up, her family was very involved with the Indian military. Her father was an army biologist and her brother is an engineer for the merchant navy. Her mother is a homemaker which obviously is the toughest job of them all. During her teenage years she fell in love with animals, particularly in the subject zoology and considered a career in medicine to help zoo animals. But she changed her mind and gave up her education to become a model. In 1991 she won a supermodel contest organized by Ford Motors which landed her a modeling cover in Vogue Magazine. Though it wasn’t until she co-starred alongside Aamir Khan and Mahima Chaudhry in a Pepsi commercial where she simply uttered the line “Hi, I’m Sanjana.” That made her instantly famous. She continued her modeling career until her acting career took off. To this day her acting career is going strong and in 2016 she is going to appear in two movies: Ae Dil Hai Mushkil and a biopic of Indian spy Sarabjit Singh called Sarbjit.

There you have the top 10 list of the richest actresses in India. Coming from someone who enjoys foreign films, I was very excited to make this list. If one of these women sounds interesting to you, then you should definitely check out their filmography.

I can bet that each one of these women on the list is a snob when it comes to dealing with East Indian men. I have no time to waste with these East Indian women.