IMDb has announced its annual list of the Most Popular Indian Stars of 2025 and, for the first time, the Most Popular Indian Directors of 2025. According to IMDb India head Yaminie Patodia, the newly introduced directors’ ranking reflects how filmmakers are increasingly becoming fan favourites. “World-building and storytelling are the new engines of fandom,” she said.
Debut actors Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda have taken the No. 1 and No. 2 spots, respectively, after the success of their film Saiyaara, directed by Mohit Suri.
Thanking his fans, Ahaan Panday said, “This is deeply humbling for me. But truly, if anything, this recognition makes me a little more aware of the responsibility I have towards my craft, and at the same time, it excites me for what’s to come. I thank everyone for helping the stars align and giving me something I could cherish for a lifetime, but mainly, I thank everyone for allowing the grandson of a heart surgeon to be a vessel for love. There’s nothing more poetic.”
Aneet Padda said, “This recognition feels unreal. Saiyaara changed my life in ways I am only beginning to understand, and to know that people across countries and languages connected with my work means more to me than I can explain. I am deeply grateful to everyone who found something to love in Vaani. This honour from IMDb feels like a gentle push toward everything I want to grow into: more clarity, more curiosity, and more craft. I am soaking all of this in as I step into my next film.”
Both Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda expressed their love and gratitude towards Mohit Suri, Aditya Chopra, Shanoo Sharma and Akshaye Widhani for all their guidance.
IMDb Most Popular Indian Stars of 2025
- Ahaan Panday (Saiyaara)
- Aneet Padda (Saiyaara)
- Aamir Khan (Sitaare Zameen Par)
- Ishaan Khatter (The Royals, Homebound)
- Lakshya (The Ba***ds of Bollywood)
- Rashmika Mandanna (Chaava, Sikandar,Thamma, Kuberaa, Girlfriend)
- Kalyani Priyadarshan (Lokah Chapter 1 :Chandra)
- Triptii Dimri (Dhadak 2)
- Rukmini Vasanth (Kantaara : A Legend – Chapter 1)
- Rishab Shetty (Kantaara : A Legend – Chapter 1)
Ishaan Khatter and Triptii Dimri are the only actors from the Most Popular Indian Stars of 2024 list who appear in this year’s list as well.
IMDb Most Popular Indian Directors of 2025
- Mohit Suri (Saiyaara)
- Aryan Khan (The Ba***ds of Bollywood)
- Lokesh Kanagaraj (Coolie)
- Anurag Kashyap (Nishaanchi)
- Prithviraj Sukumaran (L2 : Empuraan)
- R.S. Prasanna (Sitaare Zameen Par)
- Anurag Basu (Metro In Dino)
- Dominic Arun (Lokah Chapter 1 : Chandra)
- Laxman Utekar (Chhaava)
- Neeraj Ghaywan (Homebound)
Aryan Khan is not only the youngest director to feature on the list but also the only series director on it. Neeraj Ghaywan’s film was India’s official entry to the 2026 Academy Awards.
To learn more about IMDb’s Most Popular Indian Stars 2025, watch this video and view the full list here. and to learn about the IMDb’s Most Popular Indian Directors 2025 , watch this video and view the full list here.
The IMDb Top 10 Most Popular Indian Stars/Directors of 2025 list is comprised of stars/directors who consistently ranked the highest on the IMDb weekly rankings throughout 2025. These rankings are based on the actual page views of the more than 250 million worldwide monthly visitors to IMDb.
