The film which had been working at cinema for 14 years screens with a fellow filmmaker, Priyadarshan, and actor, Akshay Kumar for the first time in nearly 14 years, with the former's return to the big screen on April 17. This reunion has also made some of the audiences and fans alike pay special attention. Paresh Rawal, Tabu, Wamiqa Gabbi, Jisshu Sengupta and Rajpal Yadav are starred in the film along with Akshay Kumar. The final section is now, though, where things have turned a little different, when a new report came to light on the salaries of its cast, particularly the shocking salary cut by its lead star as the film prepares for its release.
Bhooth Bangla's Akshay Kumar reportedly took a low salary. Belonging to the ranks of one of India's top-paid actors, he reportedly billed a staggering ₹70 crore for the previous film Jolly LLB 3. But for this job he made around ₹50 crore, and the income is a pretty marked drop of roughly 28.5%. And yet Akshay is the highest-paid actor in the film, which is impressive from a financial standpoint.
His fee alone accounts for nearly 42% of the film’s projected ₹120 crore budget. The actor agreed to trim his upfront fee, some industry insiders say, to manage production costs, perhaps in part because he wants to take a slice of the film’s profits, which he has done in the past. A few of the rest of the cast members, too, apparently adjusted their fees. Tabu reportedly charged about ₹2.5 crore for her role slightly less than her previous salary.
It is worth noting that, in total, Wamiqa Gabbi received ₹3 crore in salary, as compared to the salary of the veteran actor, Paresh Rawal. Jisshu Sengupta is estimated to have made ₹1 crore and Rajpal Yadav at ₹1 to ₹1.5 crore. Such an average salary structure has made some discussions around the wages in Bollywood have opened up one of the big differences is it is the pay what actors make and that is after also the supporting cast make. That being the same, it points to the budgetary plans such big-name movie makers make in trying to navigate their star powers and budget.
Bhooth Bangla is more than a release; it’s a project of substance for a filmmaker such as Priyadarshan and Kumar. In Akshay’s case, he hopes to rebound with a big hit while Priyadarshan longs to restore his signature style of humor that dominated the box office. That calculated risk, both creatively and financially, will pay off at the box office, everyone wants to know as the film gets ready for release.
