Its the hush- hush deal thats become the talk of Bollywood in a mega sign up, bigger than any Diwali dhamaka, Hrithik Roshan has inked a three-file contract with the Anil Ambani owned Adlabs at Rs 12 crore per film.
This straightaway catapults Hrithik to the top of the superstar league, making him the highest paid star in India, way ahead of the three Khans who charge anything between Rs 5 crore to Rs 8 crore a film and Amitabh Bachchan, who hovers at a more modest figure.
But thats not the only reason why Bollywood is keeping a close eye on the deal. The Rs. 35 crore contract will change two things fundamentally for the Hindi film industry. First, the transaction will be all cheque and all white, giving greater impetus to corporation.
Thus far, most stars accept renumeration in part cheque and part cash, while some like Aamir and Shah Rukh accept part of their payment as distribution overflows from territories. For instance, if Shah Rukh Khans film does well overseas he might demand rights to the overseas territory as part of his package.
Second, and most importantly this will shake up the entire pricing system in the film industry, sending star fees spiraling out of control, many fear. It is inevitable that other big stars will want similar movies, says a film- maker who chooses to be anonymous till Hrithiks staggering price is made official.
If true, this is a very unhealthy development. Hrithik is no doubt a fabulous and hard working actor, but star prices have constantly been the bane of Bollywood. Often more than 65% of the budget for a film goes to the stars. Why, even a newcomer like Shiney Ahuja charges Rs 1 crore these days. Now God only knows how medium- budget film makers will manage their finances, he laments.
While spources revealed that Hrithiks super deal has been signed, sealed and delivered, both Rakesh Roshan and Pooja Shetty chose to be more cautious.
Negotiations are on, is all that Roshan senior would say while the director of Adlabs Films Ltd, when contacted, said: Any means would be speculation till the official announcement was made.
