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Rajnikanth rules at Rs 15 cr a film
Published on Thu, Jun 22, 2006 at 19:38, Updated at Fri, Jun 23, 2006 in Entertainment section
Tags: Rajnikanth, Tamil , Chennai
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Chennai: If you thought the Big B was big, here's someone bigger. His last film grossed over Rs 70 crore, but do you know that Rajnikanth gives competition to international stars when it comes to his pay-check?
Tamil Nadu's superstar, Rajnikanth, earns anywhere between Rs 10-15 crore per film - that's more than what Aamir Khan, Shahrukh Khan and Hrithik Roshan make put together.
That also makes Rajnikanth the second highest paid actor in South Asia, next only to Jackie Chan.
Rajnikanth's last release Chandramukhi reportedly grossed over Rs 70 crore in 2006 - this with a mere regional audience and without an NRI following like Bollywood movies have.
The Mumbai film industry's biggest 2005 grosser, No Entry, made approximately Rs 60 crore at the box office.
Rajnikanth's latest film Sivaji and is expected to bring in more than what Chandramukhi earned. At Rs 50 crore, it is one of the most expensive films made in Indian cinema.
The only thing that has been revealed about the new movie is the superstar's new avtar - a trendy new hairstyle in and as Sivaji striking a pose on a motorbike.
Directed by Shankar, who's known for his big budget hits like Mudhalvan,Sivaji is slated to hit the theaters by the end of 2006.
While the plot and details of the movies itself is a closely guarded secret, the expectation from Rajnikanth fans is an open fact.
"We are expecting a youthful Rajni, this we can say because of some stills of Sivaji that have been officially released. We hope he takes good care of his make up and hairstyle," says member, rajnifans.com, T V Sundaram.
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 Chandramukhi released in April 2005 and crossed the Rs 70 crore mark while most average Bollywood hits around that time - Bunty aur Babli and Parineetha managed only around Rs 45 crore. |
| The last movie of his which flopped was Baba. However, Baba did a business of Rs 20 crore, which is not much lower than what the next in line super star, Vijay, made for his hit Ghilli - Rs 25 crore. |
| Even if one is to go by what he got for Chandramukhi, at 56, Rajnikanth earns much more than any Bollywood actor. |
| Sivaji is being made at a budget of Rs 50 crore and is expercted to go beyond the Rs 70 crore that Chandramukhi made. |
The supertar's legendary hits in the 1990's were all rags to riches story like Badshah and Padayappa but after his home production Baba bombed in 2002, Rajnikanth in his inimitable style recovered with Chandramukhi.
He went in for a complete image change and played a psychiatrist who cures a a schizophrenic. The movie worked like a charm at the box office.
Critics are predeicting a re-invented Rajnikanth in Sivaji as well.
"An actor has to do something different in most of his movies. All actors have to. Rajnikanth is also doing it but still his essential approach to films will remain the same. If that is missing then his fans maybe dissatisfied. If there is Rajni in the film then there must be a lot of action and there must be mischief in his character," says editor Tughlak, Cho Ramaswamy.
A R Rahman has given the music for Sivaji. This is the first time Rajnikanth is working with comedian Vivek, unlike his tried and tested combination with comedian Vaidivel. This is also the first time that the superstar is working with director Shankar.
With so many differences between Rajnikanth's earlier hits and Sivaji producers are hoping that they still manage to strike gold and that will not be different is the box office response.
(With inputs from Suresh Matthew in New Delhi and Pratibha in Chennai)
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