Source: DNA India
By: Subhash K Jha
Date: October 25, 2006
MUMBAI: It isn't official as yet, but Bollywood star Hrithik Roshan has gone beyond any actor's pricing after signing a deal with Adlabs at a reported price of a whopping Rs.350 million (Rs 35 crores).
Manmohan Shetty's company Adlabs Film has apparently signed the Krrish star for a three-film deal. While Hrithik's dad Rakesh Roshan says ""negotiations are on"", other reliable sources say the deal has been signed, sealed and delivered.
Hrithik's price? A staggering Rs.350 million. This makes him the highest-paid star in Bollywood, outpricing every other actor, including Aamir Khan, who was reportedly paid Rs.70 million for Rang De Basanti.
Hrithik's reported price would change the entire pricing system in Bollywood, spiralling star fees beyond control.
A top filmmaker, who chooses to be anonymous until Hrithik's price is made official, is aghast.
He said: ""If true, this is a very unhealthy development. Hrithik is no doubt a fabulous hard-working actor. But star prices have constantly been the bane of Bollywood. Often more than 65 per cent of the budget for a film goes to the stars.
""Why, even a newcomer like Shiney Ahuja charges Rs.1 crore (Rs.10 million). The ladies get far less. But a two-film old Kangana Ranaut asks for and gets approximately Rs.30 lakh (Rs.3 million). Now God knows how medium-budget filmmakers will manage the monies.""
There's no doubt the three-film deal that Hrithik has clinched with Adlabs will dramatically revise the pricing system in Bollywood.
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Source: Mumbai Mirror
Date: October 25,2006
By: Subash K Jha
Hrithik Roshan has been given carte blanche to choose his own scripts, directors and co-stars, by Adlabs. Besides Rs 35 crore, that is Subhash K Jha
The entire film industry is staggered by the weight of Hrithik Roshan's Rs 35-crore three-film deal with Adlabs. But there's more to boggle Bollywood's collective mind. According to a highly placed source, Hrithik has been given a carte blanche by Adlabs.
The source says, ""Not only has Hrithik been signed for this unheard of amount by Adlabs but he also has been given the freedom to pick and choose the nature and genre of the projects he wants to do. He can choose the director he wants, as well as the script, co-stars and even the rest of the unit and crew for each set-up. In short, Hrithik is in complete creative control of what he chooses to do, and with whom.""
Although the Krissh star isn't allowed to talk about the deal or what kind of films he would like to do with Adlabs yet, apparently he's looking at the new breed of directors who have come in during the last two years.
In the meanwhile Rakesh Roshan has finally zeroed in on a story idea for his next super-hero film with Hrithik. This film is expected to start sometime towards the end of 2007. At the moment Hrithik is all set to leave for Jaipur to start shooting for Ashutosh Gowariker's Jodha-Akbar. Once that's out of the way he starts work on Zoya Akhtar's film.So when would he be able to do the three films for Adlabs?
""Oh, that's no problem. The deal stretches into three years. So Hrithik can spread out the films as and how and when he likes,"" says the source.
In the meanwhile Bollywood's highest paid actor was busy on Wednesday night bringing in his wife Suzanne's birthday on Thursday. ""I'll speak about all this at the right time,"" says Hrithik.