Rs1.25 billion (Dh116 million approximately): yes you read it right; that is the budget of the latest Indian film, Robot. The
most surprising factor of this highly-budgeted flick is that it stars ageing South Indian superstar Rajnikant and will be
made first in Tamil, a regional Indian language.
This news has shaken up the Bollywood industry considering that their top stars such as Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Aamir Khan, Akshay Kumar and Hrithik Roshan have phenomenal global reach, yet none has dared to star in such an expensive flick, as they are considered highly risky.
But the team of Robot is very confident of Rajnikant's appeal and have also got Aishwarya Rai's confirmation as the lead
actress, which gives the film universal appeal. The film is helmed by Shankar, the man with the Midas touch.
Special Effects
Robot is a sci-fi flick with special effects conceptualised by Shankar a long time ago. He initially offered the film to
Kamal Hassan, but things didn't fall into place and so Shankar moved ahead with the Rajniknat starrer, Sivaji.
The film went on to become a mega-blockbuster and broke records by becoming the first regional film (Tamil) to become a hit in North India. It also set records in international markets such as the US, UK, Malaysia and the UAE.
It's success restored Shankar's belief in his pet project, Robot. Shankar approached Shah Rukh for the lead role and Shah Rukh initially agreed, not only to act but also to produce the film.
But creative differences forced Shah Rukh and Shankar to part ways. In between, there were rumours of either Aamir or
Southern star Ajith coming in on the project but neither of them worked out.
Finally, it was the 58-year-old Rajnikant who agreed to play the lead. Ayagaran International and Eros Multimedia, the
UK-based international film distributors, will produce this mega-venture.
After Sivaji's great success, Rajnikant's commercial viability virtually doubled. Sivaji was made for a whopping Rs700
million (about Dh65 million) and has grossed more than Rs1.6 billion (Dh148 million) globally so far.
His stylish gimmicks and super-hero sorts of roles have won him a tremendous fan following over the decades in South India, where he is treated like a deity.
His appeal also extended to Japan, where he commands a sizeable local following. In fact, when Sivaji was released in the UAE there was an unprecedented frenzy at all the cinemas screening the film, reinforcing Rajnikant's appeal here also.
Unrivalled
He is rumoured to have been paid more than Rs400 million (Dh36.56 million) for the lead role in Robot, making him unrivalled in star remuneration in India. He is considered to be worth every penny and has proved it again and again with his consistent box office blockbusters. With Rajnikant part of an extravagant project like Robot, the film is guaranteed to reap record-breaking initial revenues and at least cover costs in the long run.
Glamour
And if Shankar and Rajnikant's name is not enough to attract filmgoers, Aishwarya Rai, a leading Bollywood face, has been signed to provide the glamour quotient.
At the moment Rai is basking in the glory of the positive initial response to her controversial Jodhaa Akbar.
Amid all these big names, A.R. Rahman has been signed to compose music for Robot and that will definitely play a key role in the appeal of the film.
With such a formidable team, one can only wait to see whether such an extravagant sci-fi project will appeal to Indian sensibilities and justify the film's mind-boggling budget.
Ash you like it
For a long time, Bollywood has been unfair to the female actors when it comes to pay. But things are changing for good as the beauties are now demanding heftier fees. Robot will make Aishwarya Rai India's highest paid actress. She is expected to pocket a cool Rs60 million (Dh5.5 million).
Besides the remuneration, Rai has a substantial role opposite Rajnikant for the first time after several previous attempts failed to bring them together in films such as Chandramukhi and Sivaji.
Rai has already acted in Shankar's Jeans, which was India's official Oscar entry in 1998.
Alpha Women
Kareena Kapoor, who until now was the highest paid woman star in Mumbai with Rs35 million per film (Dh3.5 million) is now reportedly hiking her fees after Jab We Met's success.
Queen bee Rani Mukherjee takes home around Rs25 million per film (Dh2.5 million).
Priyanka Chopra earns about Rs20 million per film (Dh2million).
Preity Zinta gets around Rs15 million per film (Dh1.5million
Bipasha Basu earns around Rs10 million per film
(Dh1 million).
