Inaugurations come at a price

When was the last time you became all excited to hear that your favourite star would be coming to inaugurate the new shopping mall at an area near you? It must have happened during several times in recent occasions! Excited though you may have been, we bet you definitely had no idea about the big numbers involved in the process!

With fans thronging in big numbers to get a peek of the actress they love on the big screen and the media – reporters and photographers – looking for a news item to run on televisions and on the next day’s newspapers, the openings of shopping malls mean big publicity for actresses and shopping malls. No wonder, actresses are raking in big moolah to grace the venues which is a win-win situation for both the parties involved.

With a short span in terms of popularity, it is commonplace to see different actresses being in demand at different times. And the toast of the town today are the likes of Kajal Aggarwal, Tamannaah and Samantha who not just endorse shopping malls but also grace their openings which takes place amidst much pomp and show. The latest entrant into this lucky list is Rakul Preet Singh who is cashing in on her present stardom and fan frenzy and in the process making big bucks. There are also other actresses like Charmme, Pranitha Subhash and Anjali who have been in demand for their affordable prices.

Having been in the industry for long and still in her prime, Kajal Aggarwal, demands a hefty sum of Rs 8 lakh in cash (Rs 10 lakh as a cheque) to grace the launch of a new textile showroom. The Visakhapatnam representative of a popular shopping mall, which she endorses, on the condition of anonymity, shares that the actress has took away big money for a two year contract. “She has been paid Rs 80 lakh to be the face of the mall for the period. This includes permission to use her name and face on all advertisements,” the representative told. “Besides participating in a photo shoot, she has shot for a video for the mall.”

Next in line is Samantha who sky-rocketed to popularity right from her debut film. There has been no stopping her ever since and the damsel takes home a neat amount of Rs 8-10 lakh!

Tamannaah who has seen her popularity in Telugu cinema seesaw is a renowned face comes as a better bargain when compared to others. With Rs 5-6 lakh being her fee, she is another face to reckon with. It will be interesting to watch out for her asking price if her upcoming big-budget flick ‘Baahubali’ creates wonders at the box-office.

But the most interesting big fish is surely Rakul Preet Singh who has just spent around two years in the industry. A source reveals, “The most expensive of all is Rakul Preet Singh who is on a signing spree. With back-to-back releases and several big-budget projects in her kitty, she charges a whopping Rs 12 lakh to attend an inauguration! Even if she wants to attend the launch for Rs 8- 10 lakh, her manager doesn’t permit her to do so.”

For those with smaller budgets, the likes of Pranitha and Charmme are the go-to girls. “With their remuneration being reasonable and affordable, they are a cool option today. Pranitha charges around 3-3.5 lakh and added to that is that she has no starry airs,” says a source from a renowned PR agency.

Well, big or small money, the actresses have an unarguable way of taking advantage of their popularity in the best way possible.