Big stars + Small screen + Side shows = Mega bucks!

 

 

Once upon a time, not long ago, stars dazzled bright only on the skies – and our B-town stars, only on the silver screen. They were our gods and goddesses, luminous deities who mesmerised, transfixed and transported us to a never-never land of happy-ever-after! In the troubled, busy and confusing times we live in, these stars, with their spectacular and larger-than-life glamour and feel-good quotient, showed us the light, inspired hope, consistently – in their own filmy way – demonstrated virtues victory over evil and generally distracted us, entertained us, gifted us an alternative reality that engaged, enchanted… even empowered! In the India we live in, entertainment is Bollywood and Bollywood is stars; creatures who are elusive, whom you see but can’t touch or connect with; dudes and dolls you read about, gossip about, fantasise… Their charm lay in the fact that they were out of bounds, inaccessible, off-limits to the howling mobs.

Suddenly, in recent times, this concept has taken a U-turn! The big, sexy, glamorous, unattainable movie star defined by magic and mystique now comes to entertain you, every night, free of charge, on… the idiot box! From Big B, SRK, Salman Khan to Akshay, Ajay Devgan & Kajol, Preity Zinta, Rani Mukherjee, Urmila Matondkar, Raveena Tandon, Sushmita Sen, Sonali Bendre, Malaika Arora, Rakhi Sawant… they are all hitting the TV screens in droves! Why? In Hollywood (a place the complex-ridden Bollywood is constantly yakking about) – neither TV endorsements, TV anchoring or ‘special’ (insanely lucrative) appearances at product launches, event openings, concerts or big-ticket weddings happen. So what’s going on? Why this desperate sell out? Aren’t they scared that this insane and all-pervasive exposure will hurt their brand equity as stars?

Longtime film tracker, Ashish Paul laughs away these contentions. “Film stars of yesteryears – 50s, 60s, even 70s – resided in a different world. Commercialism, consumerism and media-driven activities didn’t exist. It was a sweet, cosy, protected space with very high comfort levels. The advent of TV, but more critically the opening up of markets post ’91, changed all that. This coincided with Bollywood getting bigger and more powerful as an undisputable pan-India – even global – brand. Very soon, along with cricket, it became the new religion, the great leveler, a seductive common factor that – despite caste, creed, language, colour, religion, region, culture, even country – bound all! It’s natural, hence, that today’s star kids (smart ‘n’ savvy that they are) will participate, even drive this new revenue generation stream. As for compromising on their ‘exclusive’ tag, I don’t think they give a damn! The amount of money they earn in these shows against the time spent, makes it a delectable fast buck option! Victor Banerjee (of “A Passage to India” fame), however, doesn’t agree totally. He believes that traditionally, there has always been a distinct divide between TV stars and movie stars, each ruling their own defined space. “Hollywood still maintains it and apart from the odd exception doesn’t dream of indulging in any of the crazy trade-offs that blitz the scene here. For a very long time I resisted TV work. It’s only when nothing worthwhile was coming my way in the movies that I started doing TV serials. Ads, anchoring or special appearances remain – mostly – a no-no! There’s a limit to commodification! Everything in my life is not up for sale!” Big brands like Big B (reportedly charged Rs 1.5 crore per episode for anchoring “Bigg Boss 3”) or SRK (alleged to have taken home a whopping Rs 40 crore for anchoring “Kya Aap Paanchvi Pass Se Tez Hain?”) are likely to shoo away Banerjee’s views. So are stars like Salman (Rs 89 crore for season one of “Dus Ka Dum”) or Ajay-Kajol (Rs 10 crore combined for judging “Rock-N-Roll Family”). Even forgotten actress Urmila Matondkar scooped up a cool Rs 7.5 crore for judging “Waar Parriwar”. On the anvil are out-of-work star Preity Zinta, reportedly offered a cool Rs 10 crore for a show entitled “The Preity Zinta Show”, where she will interview/chat with her celeb, B-town friends. Also, the red-hot Bipasha Basu was allegedly signed by SRK’s Red Chillies to anchor a show on the lines of "America's Next Top Model". Payout? Rs 65 lakh per episode!

Wait, there is more! In these insanely glamour-driven times, where everything Bollywood-specific is hugely in demand, stars drive… everything! It’s only natural, hence, that stars leverage their marketability across every conceivable revenue generating avenue. So, enter concerts, weddings & special appearances! King Khan, demands, and gets, anything between Rs 1.5 crore to Rs 3 crore, depending on what he is required to do. Whether it’s hi-ticket affairs like Lakshmi Mittal’s daughter’s wedding or real estate hot-shot Kanti Govani’s wedding, SRK is a must. If he is required to grace his presence right through, covering all the functions, the payout is said to be a gigantic Rs 12 crore! Next in line are Salman Khan (Rs 1 crore) Katrina Kaif (Rs 80 lakh) Govinda (Rs 70 lakh) and Lara Dutta (Rs 30 lakh). Saif, Ranbir, Deepika, Imraan & Asin are also said to be in the Rs 50 lakh bracket for special appearances. Small-timers too are leaping onto this bandwagon! Malaika Arora, Celina Jaitley, Dia Mirza, Rakhi Sawant & Isha Koppikar also stand to pick up a cool Rs 10 lakh for an item ‘jig’. Can’t afford it? Not to worry. The likes of Koena Mitra, Preeti Jhangiani, Sanober Kabir, Payal Rohatgi and gang come between Rs 5-7 lakh.

The moolah is there, all the way. The gorgeous Katrina Kaif was offered Rs 1 crore to perform in a Mumbai 5-star hotel last year. This year, reportedly – due to her No.1 status – she’s been offered double the amount for a 10-minute jig! She was also said to have been paid a cool Rs 80 lakh to – you’re not gonna believe it, guys – wave at the crowd at a recent concert in Dubai! A Rs 67 lakh paycheck also came her way for a 30-minute performance at a farmhouse in Delhi.

The other sizzler, Bips Basu, was said to have been offered a sexy Rs 90 lakh to greet last year’s New Year at a Mumbai 5-star hotel but she refused because of 26/11. This year she is supposed to have been offered an even larger fee, to which she agreed. Neha Dhupia, Udita Goswami, Tanushree Dutta – all pick up anything between Rs 5 lakh to Rs 20 lakh to do their assigned and special routine/number. Oh, how can one forget the deadly Mallika Sherawat? She reportedly took home the big one – Rs 3.5 crore for a jig!

TV appearances, ad endorsements, weddings, concerts, special appearances... Big (even small) stars are flooded with revenue generating avenues from a Bollywood-crazy planet! Jai Bollywood!