How should a film's actors credits should be? - Page 2

A mixture of 1 and 2.

Stardom and popularity + the nature of the role.

Length doesn't necessarily equate to impact. Anthony Hopkins has a screen time of less than 20 minutes in Silence of the Lambs, and he won Best Actor.

If Aamir Khan is playing Hannibal Lecter and Alia Bhatt reprises the role of Clarice Starling, whose name would go first?

Ideally, it could be Aamir, then Alia. But, you wouldn't be wrong if Alia's name went first and Aamir's name appeared after Alia.

It depends on the star and the nature of the role.