MOOLAH MATTERS : HOW MUCH DO OUR HEROINES EARN?

Of late, actresses too are playing a decisive role in the box-office prospects of a film. Despite the fact that it is their male counterparts who sell a film – a truth that the ladies are aware of, widespread media attention and emergence of social media has seen actresses commanding a huge fan following which in turn is giving the required impetus to a film. As a result, they aren’t shying away from demanding a big figure to make their star presence in a film. Hans Talkies unearths interesting facts about the remuneration of top actresses in the industry.

Anushka

90 lakh The Jejamma of Tollywood is currently the highest paid actress. Even a decade after she made her foray into T-town, her popularity only seems to have grown exponentially with time. The actress, we are told, has been paid a whopping sum of Rs 90 lakh for her stint in ‘Rudhramadevi’. “The price is due to the fact that the film needed extensive dates from her calendar. Though she could have demanded more since the film will also be released in Tamil (where she enjoys a good clout), she settled for Rs 90 lakh. She is a producer-friendly actress,” a source close to the development points out.

Kajal Aggarwal

75-80 lakh Though Kajal hasn’t signed any Telugu film yet after ‘Temper’, she is demanding Rs 80 lakh per film. While it is another story altogether that she wasn’t completely remunerated for her participation in the NTR-starrer, the actress is doing great in Tamil with flicks alongside Dhanush and Vishal. “Though producers of both the films asked her to budge a little, she didn’t; she is assured of being paid Rs 80 lakh for both the films,” shares a source close to the actress.

Tamannaah

80 lakh Her Bollywood career might not have gone according to the script, but Tamannaah is still a force to reckon with in T-town. The actress, who was recently in the news for replacing Shruti Haasan in PVP Productions’ multi-starrer with Nagarjuna and Karthi, we hear, has been promised Rs 80 lakh as her salary for the film. According to a source in the know, “She was about to sign a Bollwyood project when representatives of PVP approached her. She had to forgo the Hindi film to sign this project and so, PVP didn’t hesitate to pay what she quoted.”

Samantha

75- 80 lakh Once in the news for being paid nearly Rs 1 crore for her outing in ‘Alludu Seenu’, the golden girl of Tollywood, Samantha, is now demanding Rs 75-80 lakh per film. For her stint in the recent release, ‘S/o Satyamurthy’, she was paid Rs 70 lakh. Her equation with director Trivikram made her reduce the fee by five lakh, reveals a source close to the actress.

Shruti Haasan

75 lakh Once dubbed as the iron leg, Shruti Haasan is one of the most sought after actresses these days. Currently busy with Mahesh Babu’s next, the actress, we are told, is charging Rs 75 lakh per film. This comes as a surprise considering she was paid somewhere between Rs 30- 35 lakh for her recent Bollywood project ‘Gabbar’. Well, that could be because she hasn’t attained the star status there yet. But down here, she’s definitely one!

Rakul Preet Singh

75 lakh Going by the assignments she has in her kitty, Rakul Preet Singh is definitely the lady ruling the roost this season. Having started her career with ‘Venkatadri Express’ for just Rs 15 lakh, the Punjabi kudi is now demanding Rs 75 lakh per film. Though sources close to her have told us that the makers of Ram Charan’s next have finalised Rs 60 lakh as her payment for the film, we hear she is now all set to hike her paycheck if both ‘Pandaga Chesko’ and ‘Kick 2’ triumph at the box office.

Raashi Khanna

25-30 lakh After her debut in ‘Oohalu Gusagusalade’, Raashi Khanna has fast emerged as the safe and economical option for A-listers. The Delhi beauty was paid Rs 15 lakh for her recent release ‘Jil’ and with interesting projects opposite Ravi Teja and Ram in her kitty up next, she has now increased her remuneration. We hear that she is demanding Rs 30 lakh for a film. However, according to a source, she agreed to be part of Ram’s ‘Shivam’ only for Rs 25 lakh. In fact, she replaced the original choice, Aisha Sharma, who was offered Rs 15 lakh.

By Nagaraj Goud