How India's shortest actor, 4 feet 8 inch tall, beat Salman Khan, Prabhas, Ranbir Kapoor at box office; grossed ₹2200 cr

Between 2022 and 2023, three of Indian cinema's biggest superstars - Kamal Haasan, Rajinikanth, and Shah Rukh Khan - staged grand comebacks at the box office with films that broke the bank. But apart from their collections (and mass appeal), there was another thread that connected Vikram, Jailer, and Jawan - an actor. Standing 4 feet 8 inches tall, this man is arguably India's shortest mainstream film actor. And just by appearing in some of the biggest films in the last few years, he has become a bankable name.

India's shortest actor

Dancer-turned-actor Jaffer Sadiq currently holds the distinction of being India's shortest mainstream actor. The 29-year-old stands 4-feet 8-inches tall, and has been working in the industry for five years. Jaffer, who was a dancer earlier, made his acting debut in the Tamil series Paava Kadhigal in 2020. In 2022, he made his film debut as a member of Vijay Sethupathi's gang in the Kamal Haasan-starrer Vikram. The film was a box office success, and Jaffer's role, though small, earned him notice. This paved the way for a role in Rajinikanth-starrer Jailer, an even bigger hit. In 2023, Jaffer made his Bollywood debut with Shah Rukh Khan's Jawan. He yet again played one of Vijay Sethupathi's henchmen. His last on-screen appearance was in Varun Dhawan's Baby John.

Jaffer Sadiq's enviable box office record

Although Jaffer Sadiq has played small roles in his career so far, his choice of films has been splendid. His debut feature film - Vikram - grossed ₹414 crore worldwide, becoming Kamal Haasan's biggest hit. His follow-up theatrical was Jailer. The Nelson film earned ₹605 crore and became the highest-grossing Tamil film of 2023. As if this wasn't enough, his Bollywood debut - Jawan - grossed ₹1150 crore, becoming Shah Rukh's highest-grossing film so far. Overall, the five films he has acted in have earned over ₹2200 crore at the box office so far. In this time period, not even Prabhas, Rajinikanth, Sunny Deol, Ranbir Kapoor, and Salman Khan have managed this much gross from their films. The only actor ahead of him is Shah Rukh Khan, whose three films grossed ₹2600 crore in 2023.