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First Indian Actor To Get Rs 1 Crore Fee: When it comes to naming the highest-paid actors in our country - undoubtedly we list out names including Shah Rukh Khan, ruling the roost, followed by Allu Arjun, Rajinikanth, Aamir Khan, Prabhas, Akshay Kumar and Salman Khan among many others. But did you know that back in 90s when none of them really got their fees in crores - there was one huge star from the South Indian showbiz world, who got Rs 1.25 crore salary for a film. He became the highest-paid actor in 1990s with this staggering amount. Today, let's find out who is he?
It is none other than Chiranjeevi. For his role in Aapadbandhavudu (1992), Chiranjeevi was paid Rs 1.25 crore, making him the highest-paid actor in India at the time and the first Indian actor to command a Rs 1 crore remuneration for a film. In fact, as a direct competition to megastar Amitabh Bachchan, back in time The Week magazine had Telugu superstar Chiranjeevi on the cover page with the headline: 'Bigger than Bachchan' - all because he had become the highest-paid Indian actor of that era.
GQ India states that until then, Amitabh Bachchan was charging under Rs 90 lakh per film. Also, notably it was the time when Bachchan senior was on a sabbatical from acting post-Khuda Gawah, which meant that Chiranjeevi was the highest-paid Indian actor with Rs 1 crore remuneration for award-winning Aapadbandhavudu.
According to HT, famous stars including Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan, and Sunny Deol, all charged between Rs 60-Rs 80 lakh per film, reportedly. Kamal Haasan charged Rs 1 crore per film in 1994, as did Rajinikanth.
Ending his long hiatus, Big B returned to silver screens in 1996 with Mrityudaata with and became the first Bollywood actor to charge Rs 1 crore per film, followed by Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, and Aamir Khan, in the coming years charging around Rs 2-3 cr.
The first Indian actress to reportedly charge Rs 1 crore fee for a film was late legendary superstar Sridevi. It was for 1993 film Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja. This was a significant milestone, as it was a fee typically commanded by male actors at the time.
Chiranjeevi holds the record for the most 'Industry Hits' in Telugu cinema, with 8 films emerging as the top-grossers of their time. He has been honoured with numerous awards including the Padma Bhushan in 2006 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2024 from the Government of India, as well as the IFFI Indian Film Personality of the Year Award in 2022. His other accolades include the Raghupathi Venkaiah Award, three Nandi Awards, and 9 Filmfare Awards South. In 2024, he was honoured with a Guinness World Record as the most prolific actor-dancer in the Indian film industry.
Chiranjeevi made his acting debut in 1978 but got success with his breakthrough 1983 film Khaidi. His most notable works include Pasivadi Pranam (1987), Yamudiki Mogudu (1988), Attaku Yamudu Ammayiki Mogudu (1989), Jagadeka Veerudu Athiloka Sundari (1990), Gang Leader (1991), Gharana Mogudu (1992) and Aapadbandhavudu (1992) among many others.
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