Many renowned South Indian actors, including Kamal Haasan, Ram Charan, Chiranjeevi, Jr. NTR, and others, have gone on to rule the box office with their pan-Indian productions like RRR, Vikram, Godfather, and more as Bollywood stars struggle to produce hits this year. The shift in momentum has given these South Indian actors a huge boost as South Indian films are becoming more and more popular. Naturally, some of these South Asian superstars are billing at a much higher rate than actors from Bollywood. For a list of the top South Indian actors and the enormous fees they will receive for upcoming roles, scroll down.
1. Rajinikanth – Rs 150 crore
Rajinikanth, a superstar in the south, raised his fees and will now make close to Rs 150 crore for his upcoming film Jailer, according to Zed News. Previously, he charged about Rs 100 crore for being in Annaatthe, according to Telugu360. The 71-year-old Padma Bhushan awardee is undoubtedly raising the bar with each performance, even though Kannada actor Shiva Rajkumar has also joined the cast of the upcoming action drama.
2. Kamal Haasan – Rs 150 crore
With Vikram, Kamal Haasan, another well-known name in the Indian film industry who has produced numerous blockbusters over the years, made a triumphant comeback. While the Tamil action thriller made money and broke several box office records, a News18 report suggests that Haasan has since switched his attention to his upcoming Indian 2 and has asked for a 150 crore rupee payment for the upcoming S. Shankar directed film.
3. Vijay – Rs 130 crore
Vijay, one of the most well-liked actors in the South Indian film industry, keeps boosting his enormous net worth by adding more crores with back-to-back blockbusters like Beast, Master, and Bigil. The South actor, who is expected to earn Rs 120 crore from his upcoming film Varisu, has reportedly raised his fees and is now demanding Rs 130 crore for his eagerly anticipated 67th movie, which is currently titled Thalapathy 67.
4. Prabhas – Rs 120 crore
Despite his recent box office setbacks, Prabhas is still considered to be the up-and-coming superstar of Telugu cinema. But with a long list of intriguing big-budget films in development, including Project K, Salaar, and Adipurush, the South actor is poised to substantially increase his already enormous net worth. Prabhas is reportedly charging Rs 120 crore for Om Raut’s upcoming mythological drama, which has a colossal budget of about Rs 500 crore, according to Siasat Daily.
5. Allu Arjun – Rs 120 crore
Allu Arjun, a Telugu actor who is presently working on Pushpa: The Rule with Rashmika Mandanna, has increased his fees for the follow-up and will now make Rs 120 crore, according to Siasat Daily.
6. Ram Charan – Rs 100 crore
Megastar Ram Charan’s career received a significant boost thanks to the phenomenal success of director SS Rajamouli’s historical action drama RRR. According to News18, the Telugu actor charged Rs 45 crore to play Alluri Sitarama Raju, but according to TOI, Charan is on track to make Rs 100 crore from his upcoming Gowtam Tinnanuri film.
7. Jr NTR – Rs 80 – 60 crore
In response to the phenomenal success of the SS Rajamouli-directed film, Jr. NTR, one of the most well-known superstars in the South Indian film industry, who appeared alongside Ram Charan in RRR, has also increased his fees. According to Siasat Daily, the Telugu actor will now charge between Rs 80 and Rs 60 crore for each project.
8. Ajith Kumar – Rs 70 crore
According to TOI, megastar Ajith Kumar, who dazzled the audience with his outstanding performance in Valimai, received a whopping salary of Rs 70 crore for playing ACP Arjun Kumar in the action thriller. Manju Warrier and the 51-year-old superstar will soon appear together on screen in Thunivu.
9. Chiranjeevi – Rs 45 crore
Chiranjeevi has a sizable online fan base and is well-known for his contributions to the Telugu film industry. The seasoned actor most recently appeared in the intriguing political thriller Godfather alongside Nayanthara, Satya Dev, and Salman Khan (cameo appearance). The lead role in the Mohan Raja-directed film that earned several crores at the box office reportedly cost Chiranjeevi Rs 45 crore in fees.
10. Mahesh Babu – Rs 35 crore
Mahesh Babu, whose candid response to his Bollywood debut sparked a heated debate online, is reported by the Economic Times to charge Rs 35 crore per project. The South actor, who has a huge net worth of Rs 244 crore, will soon work with director SS Rajamouli on a film about an adventure that takes place all over the world.
