Salman wants more than Akshay!

Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar haven't really let the ice thaw since the cold vibes they shared in Jaan-e-Mann. And that was just the tip of the iceberg.

The stakes have risen since Akshay got paid a whopper for the desi Fear Factor and Salman wants to get even, or more than Akki, if he can.

A source says, "Recently, when Studio 18 approached Salman for a film he wanted to know how much Akshay was getting.

When he heard Akshay was getting 40 crore, Salman hiked his price to 50 crore. When Sony"s 10 Ka Dum was launched Salman was getting paid 90 crore for 100 episodes.

Then he read in a few tabloids that Akshay Kumar was anchoring a reality show - the desi version of Fear Factor on Viacom 18's Colors - sand was getting paid a whopping Rs 1.5 crore per episode for 16 episodes."

Mujhe zyaada chahiye

The source reveals that Salman was very upset on hearing this. "He was to start shooting for the show but refused to come on the sets. Salman threw a tantrum saying he wouldn't shoot till his price was hiked and that he should get more than Akshay. Sony was in a fix. They had already announced the show with Salman and the promos were to soon go on air.

But they couldn't agree to what Salman was asking for. Finally Salman said they should pay him at least a crore per episodes. It was finally decided that Salman would be paid a whopping 104 crore for 100 episodes!

Imagine that!

Siddharth Basu of Synergy Communication, which is producing the show says, "As far as I know, that's nonsense. All these figures you mention are largely imaginary. Producers don't deal with commercials when it comes to film stars. You could try speaking to Mr NP Singh or Mr Albert Almeida from Sony."

Sony's and Salman's business manager remained unavailable for comment. Today, the first music video will be launched today at an event though Salman won't be present. He is currently shooting for Sohail Khan's Mr Aur Mrs Khanna in Australia.