Kajal to join Nayan, Anushka in elite Rs 2 crore club

Top-rung actresses are drawing fancy pay cheques for doing female-centric movies these days. After glam divas Nayantara and Anuskha, now it is the turn of Kajal to demand Rs 2 crore for Tamil-Telugu bilingual to be directed by P Vasu.

“It is true that she was offered Rs 2 crore but she has taken a call yet,” says a source, close to the actress and adds “Actually, A-listers get double their remuneration if they do a female-oriented film. They are paid less when they star opposite big stars, but when they have to carry a film on the strength of their name, producers don’t mind paying them big sums,” he adds.

Interestingly, even Tammanah who draws anywhere between Rs 80 lakh to 1 cr has also quoted Rs 2.5 crore to play an author-backed role inan action film to be shot in Malaysia and made by an NRI. “These young actresses are planning it right by mixing up their films. On one hand, these damsels are holding their positions by sharing screen space with superstars, on the other-pocketing huge sums by doing female-oriented movies. Fine balancing act indeed,” says director Puri Jagannath.

Whereas, director Gunasekhar who made film-centric film ‘Rudramma Devi’ claims that Anuskha belongs to a different league and can’t be compared with young actresses. “Anushka has earned a special place in the hearts of film viewers across the world with her larger-than-life roles. A good mix of good looks and immense talent, she can pull in crowds , without a popular hero opposite her.

Tactfully picking varied roles to keep her charisma and stardom intact and also drawing remuneration that befits her standing,” he points out. However, it is dusky actress Nayantara who draws more than any of the above-mentioned actresses by commanding a pay packet of Rs 3 crore for ‘Sye Raa…”.

“Even though, it is not a female-centric film, Nayantara is paid a hefty sum. Because she is most-sought-after actress for performance-oriented roles which demand stature and dignity. In Tamil Nadu, Nayantara is balancing between female-oriented films like ‘Maaya’ and ‘Aaram’ and holding her fort in Telugu as well,” says producer C Kalyan who himself paid a bomb to Nayantara for ‘Jaisimha’. “Except for Nayantara, if anybody had played the role of a tragic lover girl in ‘Jaisimha which demanded a gamut of emotions, the film wouldn’t have been such a big success,” he reasons.

Besides their female-centric movies and gorgeous looks, producer Kumar Chowdury attributes their demand to middle-aged stars “These actresses will be in demand for few more years since young actresses are reluctant to work with 50-plus Telugu stars like Chiranjeevi, Balakrishna, Nagarjuna and Venkatesh, so these actresses can fatten their bank balances.”