First Indian actor to charge Rs 100 crore per film got Rs 75 as first pay; it’s not Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan, Amitabh

Written By Riya Sharma | Updated: Dec 31, 2023, 06:29 AM IST

The first actor to charge Rs 100 crore per film is not Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan, or Amitabh Bachchan

As the Indian films have started setting new benchmarks of Rs 500 crore and Rs 1000 crore, the actors have also started charging whopping fees for their roles. Nowadays, many actors including Shah Rukh Khan, Rajinikanth, Aamir Khan, and others charge Rs 100 crore and above as their fees. However, do you know who was the first ever actor to charge Rs 100 crore for a film? 

Well, the actor who first charged Rs 100 crore per film belongs to a film family. He is a Bollywood superstar who has time and again impressed everyone with his performances in comedy, emotional, and action avatars. He is the same actor who once received Rs 75 as his first pay and is now one of the richest actors in Bollywood. He is none other than, Salman Khan

 Salman Khan once performed as a background dancer in one of the events with his friend and for that, he received a salary of Rs 75. Talking about the same, he said in an interview with PTI, "My first salary was, I think, about Rs 75. I was dancing behind in some show in the Taj Hotel. One of my friends was dancing there so he took me (and I did it) just for fun.” He added, “Then it went up to Rs 750 for Campa Cola (a soft drink brand) and then it was Rs 1,500 for the longest time. Then I got paid Rs 31,000 for Maine Pyar Kiya, which was then increased to Rs 75,000 later." 

Well, Salman was the first actor to charge Rs 100 crore. The actor who has given several blockbusters, was paid Rs 100 crore in 2016 for Sultan in which he was paired opposite Anushka Sharma. Then In 2017, Salman took home Rs 130 crore as fees for Tiger Zinda Hai. Both Sultan and Tiger Zinda Hai are YRF productions and if the reports are to be believed, Salman also signed a profit-sharing deal getting 60 to 70 percent of the total profits earned by these films.

Other than Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan also recently took home Rs 120 crore for his blockbuster Pathaan. Aamir Khan also reportedly charges Rs 100-150 crores for his films. Rajinikanth took home Rs 110 crore for his role in Nelson Dilipkumar's Jailer and Kamal Haasan also reportedly charges Rs 150 crore per film. Not only this, many other actors like Akshay Kumar, Prabhas, Mahesh Babu, and others charge hefty amounts for their films, however, the trend of charging Rs 100 crore per film was started by Salman Khan. 

Meanwhile, Salman Khan was last seen in the movie Tiger 3 which proved to be a commercial success. The actor is currently busy hosting the reality game show Bigg Boss 17. Salman will be collaborating with Karan Johar for The Bull, directed by Vishnu Vardhan and the actor will start the shoot for the film in February 2024. 

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