Highest paid Indian actor: Has Allu Arjun really become India’s highest paid actor? Did Pushpa 2 earn him more than the cost of big budget films? How were Shahrukh Khan, Salman Khan, Aamir Khan and Rajinikanth left behind? After all, which film changed the whole game of fees? Know the complete story of the new ‘Pay Check King’ of Indian cinema.
The fees of stars have always been a topic of discussion in Indian cinema. There was a time when Amitabh Bachchan, then the three Khans and later Rajinikanth used to top the list of highest-grossing stars. But now the picture seems to be changing. According to recent trade reports, after the historic success of ‘Pushpa 2’, Allu Arjun has set a new record in terms of fees and profit sharing. It is being said that he has become the highest paid Indian star. The special thing is that by adding only Rs 50 crore more to the fees being quoted, a complete film like ‘Peddi’ can be made.
Pushpa 2 changed the entire mathematics of fees.
According to trade reports, Allu Arjun not only took the fixed fee for ‘Pushpa 2: The Rule’ but also got a share in the profits of the film. The film did a worldwide business of more than Rs 1700 crore, while the film’s profit was above Rs 600 crore. Allu Arjun also got a big share in this earning. According to trade reports, his total earning from the film is estimated to be around Rs 300 crore or more. This amount is so huge that it is said to be more than the total budget of many Indian films. For example, the production budget of ‘Bahubali 2’, which was once among India’s highest-grossing films, is also considered to be less than Rs 250 crore. Whereas the budget of the recently released ‘Peddi’ is around Rs 350 crore, which is only Rs 50 crore more than Allu Arjun’s fee.
How did Shahrukh, Salman and Aamir Khan leave behind Allu Arjun?
In the last three decades, all three Khans of Bollywood have been among the highest paid stars. Shahrukh Khan took the profit sharing model to new heights, while Aamir Khan crossed the Rs 100 crore fee mark. In later years, all three Khans started earning more than Rs 100 crore from a film. There was talk of Shahrukh Khan’s earnings reaching above Rs 200 crore in 2023 after films like ‘Pathan’ and ‘Jawaan’, but now Allu Arjun has reportedly gone beyond that.
Rajinikanth’s record also did not last long
In the year 2024, Tamil superstar Rajinikanth, after the tremendous success of ‘Jailor’, reportedly earned the record of the highest paid Indian actor by earning more than Rs 250 crore. However, after some time, the blockbuster success of ‘Pushpa 2’ brought this crown to Allu Arjun’s head.
The story of fees worth crores started with Chiranjeevi
The era of big fees in Indian cinema came into limelight in the 1990s when Chiranjeevi was said to be the first Indian actor to take Rs 1 crore for a film. After this, the fee graph kept increasing and today the earnings of superstars have reached hundreds of crores of rupees.
In which film will Allu Arjun be seen now?
Allu Arjun has been seen only in ‘Pushpa’ franchise films in the last five years. His next big film is said to be ‘Raaka’ with director Atlee. Deepika Padukone will also be seen with him in this mega budget action adventure film. According to reports, the film may release in December 2027.