The first Indian actor to charge Rs 1 crore per film did it years before Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, or Rajinikanth
While actors routinely charge Rs 100 crore or more per film these days, these numbers weren’t always this high. In fact, just three decades ago, not many could even demand Rs 1 crore, let alone a hundred. That changed in 1992 when a Telugu star did the unthinkable and commanded the fees of Rs 1.25 crore for one film
1. First actor to charge Rs 1 crore per film
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In 1992, Chiranjeevi became the first Indian actor to break the Rs 1-crore barrier when charged Rs 1.25 crore for Aapadbandhavudu
2. Why Chiranjeevi was ‘bigger than Bachchan’
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As he became the highest-paid actor in India, The Week magazine put Chiranjeevi on its cover in 1992 with the headline Bigger than Bachchan’, signifying his status in the industry
3. Who Chiranjeevi beat to Rs 1 crore
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Apart from Amitabh Bachchan, several other top stars also commanded fees of Rs 80-90 lakh per film at the time. These included Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan
4. The growing Rs 1-crore club
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Tamil superstar Kamal Haasan joined the 1-crore club in a few years when he charged around Rs 1 crore in 1994. Rajinikanth joined the fray soon enough. When Amitabh Bachchan returned to acting after his sabbatical in 1995, he also began charging over a crore per film
5. How the Khans beat Chiranjeevi
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Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan, the new generation heroes, also reached the figure by the late-90s and where charging several times the amount by 2000
6. Chiranjeevi, the Megastar
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For his box office dominance in the 80s and 90s, Chiranjeevi was dubbed the megastar by media and fans. He has given more Telugu number 1 films than any other actor
7. Chiranjeevi’s fees today
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In 2024, in his late 60s, Chiranjeevi is not quite the same dominant force as before, but is still one of the biggest names in Telugu film industry and charges around Rs 45 crore per film
