Top 10 Indian Celebrities with the Highest Instagram Followers in 2025

India’s Instagram Power List: 2025 Edition

Instagram remains India’s loudest pop-culture scoreboard—one glance at follower counts and you can tell who’s shaping conversations, selling out brand collaborations, and setting trends. In 2025, familiar names lead the pack, but there are quiet shifts: a cricketer keeps stretching his global lead, a prime minister sits among entertainers, and Bollywood’s queens continue to jostle in the 80–95 million band. Below, you’ll find the definitive top 10 Indian celebrities by Instagram followers and the story behind their success. Data was captured and cross-checked in August 2025; follower counts fluctuate, so treat these snapshots as directional and date-stamped. 

How We Built This List (and Why the Order Matters)

To rank the top 10, we referenced a current Indian leaderboard that tracks India-based accounts and compiles followers by handle. We then spot-checked individual profiles and reputable industry trackers to confirm the ballpark numbers. If you’re reading this later in the year, expect minor movements—especially within the tightly packed Bollywood cluster. As of mid-to-late August 2025, the ordering below reflects those snapshots. 

1) Virat Kohli — ~273–274 million followers

Who he is: India’s most visible athlete and one of the world’s most-followed sportspersons. On Instagram, Kohli’s profile bridges cricket, fitness, and family moments—content that resonates far beyond India. 

Why he dominates:

• Global match-day relevance and highlights.

• Fitness-first lifestyle; relatable training clips.

• High-trust brand persona that travels internationally.

Typical content mix: Match snippets, gym work, sponsor shoots, candid family frames with Anushka Sharma.

2025 snapshot: His follower count sits around the 273M+ mark, keeping him the most-followed Indian and the most-followed Asian on the platform. 

2) Narendra Modi — ~96 million followers

Who he is: India’s Prime Minister and one of the most-followed political leaders globally. Whether you classify “celebrity” broadly (public figures) or narrowly (entertainment), his account’s scale places him firmly in India’s top tier. 

Why he ranks this high:

• National announcements and behind-the-scenes moments from state visits.

• Massive domestic and diaspora interest in political updates.

• Consistent, formal content cadence.

2025 snapshot: His profile shows ~96M followers as of August 2025. 

3) Shraddha Kapoor — ~94 million followers

Who she is: Bollywood actor and singer whose Instagram has quietly become the most-followed among Bollywood women. Her mix of candid selfies, film promos, and playful captions keeps engagement high. 

Why she clicks:

• “Girl-next-door” voice with consistent, friendly posting.

• Strong brand tie-ins that feel native to her feed.

• Loyal fan communities that amplify every drop.

2025 snapshot: Hovering around 94M, with trackers reflecting steady activity through August 2025. 

4) Priyanka Chopra Jonas — ~92–93 million followers

Who she is: Actor, producer, and global crossover star—active in Bollywood and Hollywood. She leverages Instagram as a transnational brand: films, fashion, family, philanthropy.

Why she’s powerful:

• International footprint (series, films, luxury fashion).

• Professional polish with behind-the-scenes warmth.

• Cross-border brand appeal from Mumbai to LA.

2025 snapshot: Priyanka’s following sits in the low-90Ms in 2025 lists and trackers. 

5) Alia Bhatt — ~86–87 million followers

Who she is: One of Bollywood’s most bankable actors and a fashion favorite. Alia’s account blends film promotions with intimate, low-ego day-in-the-life posts that feel effortless.

Why she wins on IG:

• Authentic tone; smart, less-is-more captions.

• High-fashion campaigns and global event appearances.

• Momentum from consecutive box-office and OTT hits.

2025 snapshot: Mid-to-high 80M range in August 2025 across trackers and her profile. 

6) Katrina Kaif — ~80 million followers

Who she is: Actor and beauty entrepreneur with a clean, editorial Instagram aesthetic. Katrina’s visuals—fitness, dance, glam shoots—are among Bollywood’s most polished.

Why her feed stands out:

• Strong visual branding and choreography-heavy reels.

• Beauty, fitness, and fashion content pillars that convert.

• Consistency over years keeps her baseline engagement high.

2025 snapshot: Around the 80M mark in August 2025 on multiple trackers. 

7) Deepika Padukone — ~80 million followers

Who she is: Global actor and producer with marquee endorsements and a carefully curated feed. Deepika’s minimal captions and high-style imagery are instantly recognisable.

Why she endures:

• Cross-over presence at global events and campaigns.

• Distinct visual identity; fewer but higher-impact posts.

• Balances star mystique with timely film promos.

2025 snapshot: Sitting around ~80M as per her profile and analytics services in August 2025. 

8) Neha Kakkar — ~78 million followers

Who she is: Playback singer and reality-show staple whose Instagram is equal parts stage, studio, and family diary. Music drops and tour moments sustain constant interest.

Why she’s sticky:

• Music-first content with short, catchy clips.

• TV visibility that funnels casual viewers to IG.

• Highly active posting rhythm.

2025 snapshot: Roughly 78M followers across her profile and trackers in August 2025. 

9) Urvashi Rautela — ~71 million followers

Who she is: Actor, model, and pageant figure who leverages event appearances (including pageantry judging) and high-gloss fashion shoots to fuel growth.

Why she scales:

• Frequent red-carpet and couture content.

• International pageant visibility that widens discovery.

• Agile use of Reels for look-based storytelling.

2025 snapshot: Around 71M followers in August 2025, per her profile and analytics. 

10) Salman Khan — ~71 million followers

Who he is: One of Hindi cinema’s biggest box-office draws, with a decades-long fanbase that reliably turns up for festival releases and Eid drops.

Why he’s here (again):

• Timely festival greetings and teaser drops.

• Fitness and behind-the-scenes peeks.

• Evergreen fandom that engages even between releases.

2025 snapshot: At ~71M in August 2025 on his profile and trackers, placing him in the top 10 among Indian accounts. 

Quick Reference: Why These 10 Stay on Top

• Mass-relevance content: Cricket highlights (Virat), national announcements (Modi), film/music cycles (Bollywood + singers).

• Visual polish: Katrina and Deepika maintain brand-safe, editorial feeds; Shraddha and Alia pair polish with approachability.

• Posting cadence that fits the persona: Neha’s regular music snippets; Urvashi’s red-carpet rhythm; Salman’s festival beats.

• Cross-platform fame: Box office, TV, sports, and politics all funnel attention into Instagram’s discovery loops.

For a consolidated, date-stamped leaderboard used as the backbone for this 2025 snapshot, see the India-specific ranking referenced earlier (updated August 17, 2025). We cross-checked positions and ballpark counts against official profiles and major outlets. 

What Creators Can Learn from India’s Most-Followed

1) Anchor your feed to 2–3 strong pillars.
Virat (fitness + cricket), Katrina (beauty + choreography), and Deepika (editorial + film) prove that clarity beats variety. Decide what your audience shows up for—and deliver consistently.

2) Post like a human, not a billboard.
Shraddha’s captions and Alia’s low-key clips feel like messages to a friend, which is why their engagement outlasts single-release hype.

3) Use cultural and calendar moments.
Salman’s Eid/trailer timing, Neha’s festival songs, or national days for public figures—these moments spike reach beyond your core followers.

4) Mix short-form and stills.
Even the most traditional feeds sprinkle dynamic Reels into an otherwise gallery-forward aesthetic. It’s the fastest route to new discovery.

5) Build an offline-to-online loop.
TV, cinema, sports, pageants, and press appearances are powerful follow magnets. If you’re an independent creator, mimic this with podcasts, events, and collabs.

Trends to Watch in Late 2025

The 80–95M Bollywood cluster is fluid. Shraddha, Priyanka, Alia, Katrina, and Deepika trade small leads as releases, awards seasons, and global fashion weeks swing momentum month to month. Expect micro-shifts rather than giant leaps. 

Event-led surges stay real. World-cup cycles or blockbuster trailers can produce short, sharp spikes—especially for athletes and tentpole stars.

Brand-native storytelling beats overt ads. The most-followed names rarely post “hard-sell” ads; they integrate brand narratives inside familiar content formats. That’s a big reason their audiences don’t tune out.

Public figures will keep showing up in ‘celebrity’ lists. Whether you love it or not, high-profile leaders now sit side-by-side with entertainers in follower-based rankings, because audiences use Instagram for news and public life as much as for glamour. 

Notes & Methodology

• Date window: Counts consulted between August 17–24, 2025. Rankings change; refer to the cited India leaderboard and individual profiles for the latest. 

• Scope: We included public figures and entertainers because follower-count leaderboards for “Indians on Instagram” typically aggregate all high-profile Indian accounts—not just film/music. If you prefer an entertainment-only list, simply skip the public figure at #2; the remaining order still mirrors 2025 standing. 

Conclusion

Instagram’s Indian top 10 in 2025 tells a familiar story with fresh details: a cricket icon at #1, a head of government among entertainers, and five powerhouse Bollywood women locked in a close race through the 80–95M band. The through-line is consistency—in content, tone, and timing. If you’re a brand or creator, the lesson is simple: choose clear pillars, show up steadily, and speak like a person. That’s how the biggest accounts in India earn attention at scale—and keep it month after month.