All the Tollywood actors are demanding big remunerations post Covid. Some of the actors are racing ahead by increasing their markets and some of them are struggling to survive. Megastar Chiranjeevi has hiked his fee and he is demanding Rs 75 crores per film. His upcoming release Vishwambara is stuck in financial stress as the non-theatrical deals are yet to be closed. UV Creations borrowed big money for the film and they paid a huge remuneration for Megastar. They are expecting over Rs 50 crores through the digital deal but the asking price from the OTT giants is Rs 25 crores. Without closing the digital and other non-theatrical deals, it is completely impossible to release the film. For now, the talks are going on.
Chiranjeevi will soon work with successful director Anil Ravipudi. Chiranjeevi has agreed for Rs 75 crores remuneration and his daughter Sushmitha Konidela will be paid Rs 10 crores. Together, Chiranjeevi will be drawing a huge remuneration of Rs 85 crores. Anil Ravipudi who delivered a king size blockbuster like Sankranthiki Vastunnam will be charging Rs 25 crores as pay and this is a good pay considering his success streak. The makers will have to pay Rs 115 crores for the hero and director alone. The making, other remunerations, expenses and promotions would cost Rs 100 crores more.
The estimated budget of the film is Rs 215 crores and the producers will struggle to recover the investments before the release considering the current market of Chiranjeevi. Zee Studios is ready to acquire the non-theatrical rights and the talks are going on. But they will have their limitations considering the combination and the market of the lead actor. The makers will have to quote big prices in theatres and the film has to fare extremely well in theatres to recover the investments. Chiranjeevi’s previous films Acharya and Bhola Shankar were massive disasters in theatres and the producers witnessed huge losses.
Things are different with Sankranthiki Vastunnam. Venkatesh and Anil Ravipudi received decent remuneration and they completed the film in 70 days. For the budget on which it was made, Sankranthiki Vastunnam made huge profits. But things are completely different for Chiranjeevi and Anil Ravipudi’s film. Sahu Garapati is the producer and he already paid a big advance for Chiranjeevi and a decent advance for Anil Ravipudi. If the film generates buzz and does great in theatres, the film will end up as a profitable film. Before the release, it would be a big stress and risk for the producer. This is just because of the Mega remuneration for Chiranjeevi. The film is expected to release for Sankranthi 2026.
