With its advertising market ballooning at Rs 4,000 crore, star power is going south. Marketers are rushing to snap up southern stars for brand and product endorsements.The limited geographical appeal of the actors notwithstanding, marketers are dishing out hefty fees, which, in most cases, are higher than what Bollywood superstars charge.According to sources, Shahrukh Khan and Aamir Khan, the most sought after stars in the endorsement orb, charge around Rs 2-3 cr a year per deal, while Saif Ali Khan, Ajay Devgan and others are paid around Rs 1-1.5 cr a deal. Whereas Chiranjeevi, Vijay, Madhavan and Vikram, top stars in south, charge around Rs 2-4 cr depending upon the exposure required.
Cheeranjeevi, incidentally, is one of the highest paid actors in the country. He charges around Rs 7-8 cr a film, whereas SRK, the highest paid actor in Bollywood, gets around Rs 5 to 6 cr a film, say sources. Amitabh Bachchan, with a price tag of around 4 cr a film, of course, remains the costliest star. But sources say that if Rajnikanth, the superstar were to jump in te fray, he would be as big if not bigger than Big B.
As for the fair sex, the story is no different between north and south. It, in fact, is as unfair as ever. Sources say, Preity Zinta, Kajol, Jyothika and Trishna Krishnan all get around Rs 50-70 lakhs a deal.
Though Bollywood stars cater to a much bigger market in comparison with their southern counterparts, who have virtually no brand appeal beyond the four states in the south, marketers seem ready to bet on them. Says Sanjay Bhutiani, CEO, P9 Integrated: "Of the 1,000 odd films India produces a year, around 500 come out of South. Chandramukhi, a recent Rajnikanth starrer grosses around Rs 60 cr, which is unheard of in Bollywood. Film stars in south are far bigger draws than their Bollywood counterparts and hence, the exorbitant prices."
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