Not Amitabh, Rajinikanth, Or Shah Rukh Khan, THIS South-Indian Hero Took Home Rs 1.25 Crore Salary In 1993!

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We are talking about the 1990s when stardom was taking a new form and actors were worshipped as demigods in Indian cinema. Although the attachment and the intensity of hero-worship knew no bounds for the people of Telugu film industry's fans, this fact that came to light has made everybody's jaws drop!

Film production involved crores of rupees and the major chunk was always set aside for the lead actors' remunerations. It has been that way in the Telugu, Hindi, and Tamil industries, since time immemorial.

First Hero In The Indian Film Industry To Have Demanded Over Rs 1 Crore As Remuneration

But, an interesting fact that has been trending on social media is making the mega fans and in general movie buffs feel proud. As per the reports, while the movie-making budget has entered the Crores, the first actor to quote and get a paycheque of Rs 1.25 Crore is from the Telugu film industry, and that is none other than megastar Chiranjeevi.

According to a report published in DNA, the first actor to take home a remuneration of over Rs 1 Crore was not Rajinikanth, not Amitabh Bachchan or Shah Rukh Khan.

Megastar Charged Rs 1.25 Crore For Kalatapasvi K Viswanath's Apathbaandhavudu

For the movie Apathbaandhavudu, which starred Meenakshi Seshadri and directed by late K Viswanath, Chiranjeevi had reportedly received a remuneration of Rs 1.25 Crore. This was in the year 1993. These days, taking Rs 80 Crore and Rs 100 Crore as remuneration by star heroes is a routine matter. But the BIG transition was a remarkable step and a daring act three decades earlier.

During the early 90s, Amitabh Bachan was charging Rs 85 Lakh to Rs 90 Lakh per film, reportedly. Kamal Haasan joined the highest remuneration club of over Rs 1 Crore in the year 1994. And then, Rajinikanth soon joined. After Amitabh Bachchan resumed working, he started taking Rs 1 Crore.

However, until the late 90s, Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan, who are next line of Amitabh Bachchan, Rajinikanth, and Kamal Haasan haven't charged Rs 1 Crore. During the same period, Akkineni Nagarjuna and Venkatesh started taking over Rs 1 Crore.

Megastar Chiranjeevi, who made a comeback with Khaidi No 150 has been doing back-to-back films irrespective of their result at the box office. However, the megastar proved that he didn't lose it all with his recent Sankranthi release Waltair Veerayya. The movie registered the highest openings in his career and also made about Rs 250 Crore worldwide, his highest-grossing film so far. The actor is ready to hit the screens as Bholaa Shankar with Tamannaah and Keerthy Suresh in August.