 |
| With Akshay Kumar on board, the Hindi market for Robot 2.0 may open up and that also goes in his favour. |
June 20, 2016, NewsCrunch
Media has been reporting that in Robot 2.0 Akshay Kumar is being paid more than Rajinikanth.
Akshay Kumar plays the villain while Rajinikanth is the main lead in the sequel.
No publication, which is reporting this information, has any authentic number, which is indeed hard to come by. Payments in the film industry are confidential and not always above board. There are also various permutations and combinations that decide the actual terms.
Rajinikanth is a legend, who can command Tamil and Telugu markets, which combined may rival or outdo Bollywood in size. Akshay Kumar is no less a star, in fact, ranks among the most highly paid stars in Hindi.
The fact is, Akshay Kumar makes more money than Rajinikanth. According to a Forbes 2015 survey, Akshay Kumar claimed sixth position in the list of Indian celebrities who made the most money by earning Rs 128 crores.
Rajinikanth’s ranking was a lowly 69 (Rs 25 crore earnings).
Bollywood stars make more money through event appearances, promotions or by running other businesses. Rajinikanth is not keen to explore any of these and so, the Forbes list is not a good indicator to settle the question.
Robot 1.0 was reportedly made with 200 crores in 2010 and Rajinikanth was paid Rs 45 crore for the movie. But he has had two flops and no hit after that, and can be expected to take a lower package for the sequel. It is always cold logic and no emotions when it comes to deciding financial terms in the film industry.
With Akshay Kumar on board, the Hindi market for Robot 2.0 may open up and that also goes in his favour. The Hindi rights of Robot 1.0 was sold for just 27 crore, a small part of the Rs 300 crore, it minted in the first two weeks.
There is also a good chance that Akshay Kumar may have agreed to act at a price below what he charges for other films (a reported Rs 35 to 40 crore per film). A meaty role in a Rajini film is tremendous boost to his brand in