Lately, there have been discussions about the rising paychecks of Tollywood star heroes, which often end up increasing the budgets drastically. In a recent podcast, ace producer Dil Raju opened up about the same, revealing some startling facts.
“I try to explain the current market situation to heroes and tell them what I can pay. I will only work with those who understand me. Top heroes can’t decrease their remunerations due to prestige issues. They might feel their image will be affected if they do that. For example, in a Rs. 300 crore budget film, 35-40% of it goes to the hero,” said Dil Raju.
Referring to Bollywood and how things function there, the ace producer said, “I see very good potential in Hindi cinema right now. Most Bollywood stars are now operating on profit-sharing models. This system is yet to be followed in Telugu cinema. Almost every star in Hindi has accepted a share in the profits rather than upfront salaries.”
Dil Raju explained the scenario by taking the example of star hero Akshay Kumar. He said, “Once, Akshay Kumar garu used to charge Rs. 130 crores. Market corrections happened, and he is now adopting a profit-sharing model. As a producer, I am very happy. We will recover the costs easily. There is responsibility and accountability.”