Hello guys, as you all know, Malayalam Cinema is one of the most popular film industries and is known as Mollywood. But when it comes to talent, Malayalam cinema has featured some of the finest stars in the indian film industry.
While talking about their acting, different actors have different remuneration; meanwhile, in 2025, the stakes have risen, and so have the paychecks.
In this article, we dive into the world of the Highest Paid Malayalam Actors, revealing the Top 10 Highest-Paid Malayalam Actors 2025 who are setting new records with every blockbuster they deliver. From critically acclaimed performances to commercial hits, these stars have truly earned their spot.
Curious to meet the highest-paid Malayalam actors of the year, read this post, continue as we uncover the most bankable names in the industry, and present the Highest Paid Malayalam Actors of 2025 who continuously dominate the big screen with unmatched charisma and talent.
List of Highest-Paid Malayalam Actors
- 1. Mohanlal
- 2. Mammootty
- 3. Dulqueer Salmaan
- 4. Prithviraj Sukumaran
- 5. Fahadh Faasil
- 6. Dileep
- 7. Suresh Gopi
- 8. Nivin Pauly
- 9. Tovino Thomas
- 10. Nayanthara
1. Mohanlal
Mohanlal began his career in 1978 as an antagonist in the romance film Manjil Virinja Pookkal. He features in 350+ films and is widely regarded as one of the most influential and greatest actors in the history of Indian cinema.
Firstly, he entered in Malayalam film industry playing negative roles, but his talent, skills, and dedication to his hard work make him a superstar in Malayalam cinema alongside Mammootty.
He is one of the greatest actors or superstars Malayalam cinema has ever produced. He mostly features in the film produced by Aasirvad Cinemas, a production house founded by Perumbavoor. According to reports, he charged between Rs. 10Cr to 25Cr per movie.
He has won several accolades to his name, including:
- Five National Film Awards: Two Best Actor
- Nine Kerala State Film Awards
- Filmfare Awards South
2. Mammootty
Mammootty is an Indian film actor and producer who is known for his work in the Malayalam film industry. His full name is Muhammad Kutty Panaparambil Ismail. In his spanning career of five decades, he appeared in more than 400 films, mostly in lead roles.
Mammootty can be considered one of the greatest actors in Malayalam cinema. According to media reports, he charged Rs. 10Cr to 25Cr per movie.
If we talk about their achievements, as of 2025, he has won several accolades to his name, including:
- 3 National Awards for Best Actor
- 9 Kerala State Film Awards
- 11 Kerala Film Critics Awards
- 13 Filmfare Awards South
3. Dulqueer Salmaan
Dulqueer Salmaan is one of the most promising Indian actors and a playback singer or a film producer who works in Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi, and Tamil Films. He showed his skills as a great actor in films like Charlie, Sita Ramam, and Kali.
He is one of the recently growing and popular actors who is better than Navin Pauly in his acting skills. He shows his hard dedication in his films and improves day by day by choosing eccentric characters.
According to the National Film Awards, Dulqueer Salmaan charged Rs. 10Cr to 18Cr per movie. Dulqueer has won five Filmfare Awards South, a South Indian International Movie Award, a Kerala Film Critics Association Award, and a Kerala State Film Award.
4. Prithviraj Sukumaran
Prithviraj Sukumaran is an Indian actor and film director who works primarily in Malayalam Cinema. He has spanned more than 20 years since his debut as a actor in lead actor in Malayalam Cinema and made superhit movies continuously.
He appeared in a total of 100 films in his career, involving diverse genres and a variety of roles. He is one of the charming actors and has performed well in his career. According to reports, he charged Rs. 10Cr to 18Cr per movie.
If we talk about his achievements, he won several accolades to his name, including a National Film Award, Four Kerala State Film Awards, and a Tamil Nadu State Film Award, along with seven SIIMA Awards and a South Filmfare Award.
5. Fahadh Faasil
Fahadh Faasil is an actor and producer who works primarily in Malayalam films and was recognized not only in Malayalam cinema but also in South India through his acting and choice of movies.
He is one of the highest-paid actors in Malayalam Cinema who charges Rs. 6Cr to 10Cr per movie. He is a talented and natural actor with huge potential. He began his film career at the young age of 20 with his father’s 2002 romantic film Kaiyethum Doorath.
He also received several accolades to his name for his best acting performance in his career, including the National Film Award, four Kerala State Film Awards, and four Filmfare Awards South.
6. Dileep
Gopalakrishnan Padmanabhan, formerly known as Dileep on stage, is an Indian actor, producer, comedian, and entrepreneur who works in the Malayalam film industry.
He also appeared in Tamil, Hindi, and Kannada films. He began his career as an impressionist in stage shows. He gained fame when he was cast in the comedy series Comicola on Asianet and its successor Cinemala.
He started his film career as an assistant director and worked under director Kamal in nine films, beginning with Vishnulokam. As an actor, he charges Rs. 5Cr to 7Cr per movie.
7. Suresh Gopi
Suresh Gopi is an Indian actor, playback singer, television presenter and politician who is currently serving as the Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas and the Minister of Tourism since June 2024.
Suresh is mostly known for his perfectionism in acting and has also delivered several hits in Malayalam cinema. He was a major crowd puller during his heydays and was the third big name in Malayalam cinema after Mammootty and Mohanlal.
While looking at his popularity and popular hits, he demanded around Rs. 3Cr to 7Cr per movie.
8. Nivin Pauly
Nivin Pauly is an Indian actor and producer who mostly works in Malayalam films, and he is also considered to be a great actor with the ability to make people laugh through his acting.
He is a natural actor who can work both in serious and comedy roles with ease. His current time is not good, but he is the most promising actor in the past times of the Malayalam film industry in the past decades.
Nivin is also a software engineer who is employed at Infosys in Bangalore through campus placements from 2006 to 2008.
He left his job because of his father’s death, and then he started his career in acting in Malayalam Cinema. He mostly acted in family films and charged Rs. 4Cr to 6Cr per movie.
9. Tovino Thomas
Tovino Thomas is an Indian actor and film producer who predominantly work in Malayalam cinema. He is one of the promising stars of Mollywood cinema in the current times.
He is widely recognized as one of the highest-paid actors of Malayalam cinema. According to reports, he charges around Rs. 3Cr to 6Cr per movie.
10. Nayanthara
Nayanthara is an indian actress who works in Malayalam, Telugu, and Tamil Cinema. She is one of the highest-paid actresses in the Malayalam industry. She has worked in more than 75 films in his career of two decades.
She is the only South Indian Actress who featured in the Forbes India Celebrity 100 list of 2018. She is one of the highest-paid Malayalam female actors, charging around Rs. 3Cr to 5Cr per movie.
She made her acting debut with the film Manassinakkare (2003) along with Ayya (2005) in Tamil Cinema and Lakshmi (2006) in Telugu, and in Kannada with Super (2010).
She won several awards during her acting career, including five Filmfare Awards South, one Tamil Nadu State Film Award, a Nandi Award, and seven SIIMA Awards
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