However, now with movies like Om Shanti Om and Singh Is Kinng topping Rs. 40 crores in the first week itself, Rs. 50 crores final total is passé.
In the times when Rs. 100 crores for a movie is seen to be pretty achievable within next six months itself, what with biggies like Chandni Chowk To China, Ghajini and Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi arriving soon at the box office, the pay package of everyone out there in Bollywood has seen an exponential increase.
This is why it is not just the top actors who see their remuneration in excess of Rs. 10 crores; even top directors too are commanding a huge price.
One such filmmaker is writer-director Anees Bazmee who, post the hat trick of success of No Entry, Welcome and Singh Is Kinng, has been offered, hold your breath, as much as Rs. 51 crores by a top corporate house for a bouquet of 3 films.
Confirms a source close to Anees Bazmee, "Anees bhai is keeping tight lipped about the entire offer since he would rather sign on the dotted line before making any declaration of sorts.
However, the fact is that the day Singh Is Kinng was released and declared a success on the basis of sheer opening; he has been inundated with offers by one and all.
So many producers out there just want him to take up their projects and are not even worried about the figure he may quote. However, one such offer that seems to be in serious contention has come from a top corporate house."
Refusing to divulge on the name, the source only informs that it is a leading corporate house which has delivered a string of successful films in last six months. "Not just that Anees bhai has been offered 51 crores to direct three films and given full freedom to pick subjects and actors of his choice over a period of time, he has also been extended flat 21 crores as a signing amount.
It is an unheard of money and quite unprecedented. Something of this scale has never happened before for a Bollywood director but Anees bhai's track record has forced producers to talk big money", informs the source.
Is the number indeed true? Is Anees going to bite the bait?
Says Anees Bazmee in a cautious tone, "It won't be fair on my part to comment on the number part since it is best left to be announced by the people who are making an offer.
In any case, temptations like these aren't new to me because ever since No Entry became a superhit, mega bucks have been offered to me. I don't want to rush up on my films and go for quantity while compromising on the quality.
Yes, there have been huge offers after Singh Is Kinng as well and I am certainly considering a few of them. However, the moment I sign on the dotted line, there would be a formal announcement for all to know."
