From Shah Rukh Khan and Allu Arjun to Vijay and Mammooty: What are film stars charging in 2024?

Imagine waking up to an SMS that says ₹300 cr has been credited to your bank account. Some top stars across the Indian film industries don't have to imagine that though — they live this reality. Despite the mixed-bag year at the box office, star fees, as always, remained a constant point of conversation and speculation.

As 2024 comes to a close, The Hollywood Reporter India spoke to multiple industry insiders to find an answer to the big question: Who is charging what? Even though the Khans — Aamir, Salman and Shah Rukh — didn't have any new releases, they showed up on the big screen in the form of re-releases and continued to draw some of the biggest paychecks.

The biggest pan-India star of the moment, Allu Arjun, was reportedly paid a staggering figure of ₹300 cr for Pushpa 2: The Rule. Prabhas, who broke out wide with the Baahubali movies and followed up with films like Adipurush, Salaar, and Kalki 2898 AD, usually charges between the bracket of a ₹150 to 200 cr upfront fee.

There is no definitive data to determine the exact paycheck of a star, as it varies from film to film, depending on its scale. But the numbers THR India collated indicate how the fee structure has changed, with some actors hiking their market price after a blockbuster.

The Khans' mode of payment

Aamir Khan, Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan work on a profit-sharing basis, that is, they take a certain percentage from the surplus of their films. The movies are signed at a base price of approximately ₹50 cr, a notional signing amount. The percentages then differ.

For Shah Rukh, industry insiders revealed, the profit cut was around 55 percent for Yash Raj Films' Pathaan. According to trade sources, the spy-actioner, which minted ₹1000 cr at the global box office, recorded a profit of over ₹600 cr — taking into account the theatrical as well as non-theatrical revenues. It is estimated that Shah Rukh Khan took home a massive profit share above ₹350 cr.

The method remained the same for the other two movies under his home production Red Chillies Entertainment — Atlee's Jawan and Rajkumar Hirani's Dunki, the former minting a profit of ₹700 cr.

Aamir Khan, sources suggested, takes a profit cut of around 60 percent as well. He will be next seen in his home production Sitaare Zamneen Par. Salman Khan, for the longest, has worked on taking the revenue from the satellite and digital rights of his films — approximately above ₹200 cr — that is budgeted without his acting fee. The theatrical share and music rights are pocketed by the co-producers.

Where do the others in Bollywood stand?

Hrithik Roshan began the year with his ambitious aerial actioner Fighter, for which the actor is said to have charged around ₹100 cr. But the figure isn't fixed. Just like the Khans, Hrithik is on a profit-sharing basis when it comes to doing a YRF film. For a relatively small film, like Vikram Vedha, the actor is said to have charged ₹60 to 70 cr, and even less for Super 30, for which he took home a producer credit.

Industry sources suggested that Akshay Kumar is currently charging ₹70 to 80 cr, a similar range to the one Ajay Devgn commands. Ranbir Kapoor, who is on a career-high after the historic success of Animal last year, is flirting with ₹80 cr as the fee, and in some cases, opting for profit sharing.

Ranveer Singh, who was going through a rough patch before Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Khaani (2013), is said to be charging in the bracket of ₹50 to 60 cr. Similarly, the actor who has hiked his fees closer to ₹40 cr is Kartik Aaryan, fresh off delivering one of the biggest blockbusters of the year with Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3.

Two actors currently charging approximately ₹30 cr are Varun Dhawan and Shahid Kapoor. Industry sources said Varun also opts for profit sharing, which he did for films like Jugjugg Jeeyo (made on ₹100 cr) to keep the budget in check, and, Bhediya, where he let go of his acting fee to invest in the VFX of the movie.

Vicky Kaushal, who featured in Bad Newz this year, has said to have also hiked his price and will now be charging in the range of ₹25 to ₹30 cr. Actor Ayushmann Khurrana, sources said, is charging anywhere between ₹15 to 18 cr, the same range as that of Rajkummar Rao, who featured in the blockbuster Stree 2.

When it comes to female stars, industry sources said Deepika Padukone charges over ₹20 cr per film, followed by Alia Bhatt, who ranges from ₹10 to 15 cr, and in some cases, her producers' profit share.

Kareena Kapoor, who had a fantastic 2024 with films like Crew, The Buckingham Murders and Singham Again, ranges from ₹10 to 15 cr; this number was lesser for The Buckingham Murders, in which she was also attached as producer to balance the budget.

Shraddha Kapoor, who bounced back at the box office with Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar (2023) and Stree 2 is estimated to charge around ₹10 cr per film. Kiara Advani's fee is around ₹6 to ₹7 cr, which is the same for Kajol.

Kriti Sanon, who has had a sensational year with Crew and Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya, is said to be charging around ₹4 to ₹6 cr.

Last year's theatrical breakout star Triptii Dimri, who transitioned from being an indie darling (Bulbull and Qala) to a 'national crush' with Sandeep Reddy Vanga's Animal, is said to charging around ₹2.5 to 3 cr. The range is similar for Ananya Panday, Sara Ali Khan and Janhvi Kapoor.

What is happening in the Tamil and Malayalam industries?

In the Malayalam film industry, the remuneration of stars depends on the kind of films they are doing, and conventionally, they act in upwards of three to four movies each year. The experimental nature of some of these films also dictates that they charge lower for such projects compared to more commercially-viable outings, similar to how the Hindi film industry operates.

In the case of an actor like Mammootty, his most successful experimental films, including Lijo Jose Pellisery’s perplexing Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam (2022), Kathal: The Core (2023) or Puzhu (2022), were all produced by his own Mammootty Kampany, ensuring he takes the lion’s share of the risk and reward.

In more commercial outings, including those in which stars like Mohanlal and Mammootty play smaller, non-titular roles, their payments are said to be upwards of ₹6 cr per film. In Malayalam films led by them, their fee could anywhere be between ₹6 to 12 cr, with Mohanlal even speculated to touch ₹14 cr for a project.

Other younger stars of the Malayalam industry reportedly charge much below the ₹10 cr mark. Actor Dulquer Salman, who played one of the larger cameos in blockbuster Kalki: 2898 AD, is reported to have negotiated his fee in the form of the film’s Kerala distribution rights for his company Wayfarer Films.

The fee structure of superstars in the Tamil film industry is far more linear compared to their Malayalam counterparts. Top stars such as Rajinikanth, Vijay and Ajith take an upfront fee during the initial stages of production, an amount determined by the performance of their previous hits.

Nayanthara, who is dubbed as the 'Lady Superstar', charges approximately ₹15 cr per film. The actor made her Bollywood debut last year with Jawan, in which she co-starred with Shah Rukh Khan

In Vijay’s case, this sum is said to be upwards of ₹200 cr for his most recent release, The Greatest Of All Time, an amount that was confirmed by its producer Archana Kalpathi during an interview. According to reports, Vijay is said to be taking home a whopping ₹275 cr for his upcoming Thalapathy 69, which will be his last film before his full-time entry into politics.

The sums of Tamil actors are comparatively higher because most of them (barring Kamal Haasan), continue to work for larger production houses. Tamil actors are also infrequent when it comes to brand collaborations, promotions or other endorsements, making their on-screen presence something of a rarity.