Lately there has been much buzz about Karan Johar dropping the idea of launching Telugu superstar Prabhas in Bollywood with his film. The reason: Prabhas reportedly hiked his fee to Rs 20 crore. A source told DNA, "While it was okay for him to ask and get his desired price - reportedly in the vicinity of Rs 20 crore - in Telugu cinema, it was unrealistic for Prabhas to expect that kind of remuneration in Bollywood. No South Indian actor, not even Rajinikanth, has that kind of commercial clout in Hindi cinema. Prabhas has clearly out-priced himself from Bollywood. After Baahubali and its sequel, Karan was keen to launch Prabhas in Hindi cinema. But on seeing the price he was asking, Karan has decided to abandon the idea of launching him." Karan Johar wrote a cryptic tweet, and there is speculation whether he was directing it at Prabhas. Well, easier said than done, KJo. Prabhas's demand for this fee was not such a surprise, as he had already demanded Rs 30 crore for his bilingual film, Saaho, starring Shraddha Kapoor. A quick reminder: Varun Dhawan was in the news recently for hiking his fee to Rs 25 crore, after the success of Judwaa 2, a crass David Dhawan comedy. So why is it "unrealistic" for Prabhas to have such expectations from Bollywood? THE BAAHUBALI PHENOMENON Both Prabhas's films, Baahubali: The Beginning, and Baahubali: The Conclusion, performed phenomenally well in the international market, overriding Bollywood's big-ticket films such as Jab Harry Met Sejal and Tubelight. Both the Baahubali films received glowing praise for their storyline, acting, cinematography and sheer opulence. The epic historical fiction films told the story of the lost rightful heir of the fictional kingdom of Mahishmati, who falls in love with a rebellious warrior. The film actually has a plot, as compared to many of Bollywood's box-office successes, eg. Judwaa 2 and Golmaal Again. The film crossed Rs 1500 crore worldwide, and broke records. Prabhas, who was already a superstar in the Telugu film industry, became an established name in Bollywood as well, thanks to the Hindi versions of both the films. The success of Baahubali paved the way for other South Indian films such as Mersal, Spyder and Vivegam. If box office collections are anything to go by, this year's Baahubali 2 surpassed all Bollywood films. IS THERE A DISCREPANCY? Let's take a look at the fee of popular Bollywood stars. Salman Khan gets Rs 60 crore, Aamir Khan charges Rs 50 crore, and SRK charges Rs 40-45 crore. Fair enough. Akshay Kumar and Hrithik Roshan too charge between Rs 40-50 crore. Ranbir Kapoor charges Rs 25 crore, Ranveer Singh charges Rs 20 crore, and Shahid Kapoor charges between Rs 15-18 crore. Ajay Devgn charges between Rs 20-25 crore. And, it's not as if all these actors have had a consistent amount of resounding hits either. Let's not forget the Besharam, Tubelight and Shaandaar debacles. So why can't Prabhas, who has been hailed as one of India's prominent stars, ask for Rs 20 crore for a Karan Johar film? Seriously, even Ajay Devgn with his uneven performances and bombs like Shivaay gets more. Not just Prabhas, why can't a superstar like Rajinikanth or any other South Indian star who have carved a name for themselves with years of hard work and dedication and powerful films, not expect a better opening in Bollywood? Or have people conveniently set Bollywood above all other Indian film industries? In fact, Rajnikanth wields a strong influence over the South and a staggering fan-base, almost overpowering many Bollywood actors. These disparaging statements clearly show the ever-widening gap between Bollywood stars and regional stars in the country. There seems to be an inherent misconception that Bollywood is the face of Indian cinema, when in reality, it isn't. Let's remember, Prabhas achieved international recognition without Bollywood. So the belief that South Indian stars mustn't expect high fees in Bollywood is completely bizarre. Bollywood lovers too deserve to watch good actors. Prabhas certainly is one of them. ALSO WATCH: Prabhas-Rana talk about the ultimate face-off in Baahubali 2 To get the latest entertainment news and gossip, follow us on Twitter @Showbiz_IT and Like us on facebook.com/IndiaToday For news and videos in Hindi, go to AajTak.in. ताज़ातरीन ख़बरों और वीडियो के लिए आजतक.इन पर आएं. YOUTUBE DO YOU LIKE THIS STORY?73 7 # Prabhas# Varun Dhawan# Baahubali by Taboola Sponsored Links YOU MAY LIKE Join now to watch the story of the world’s largest man-made disaster. Amazon Prime Video You’re A Step Away From Raising A Genius Child Magic Crate If Your Child is Addicted to Smartphones, You Must Watch this Video Flintobox Clear your myths about daily water intake for your body Livpure Jagatpura: An Upbeat Location For Affordable & Quality Residential Facility Ashiana Housing 10 Bollywood Celebs Who Did Odd Jobs Before They Became Famous CriticsUnion by TaboolaFROM INDIA TODAY GROUP Aishwarya-Abhishek to Aamir-Kiran: B-Town attends Rani Mukerji's dad's prayer meet 4 times Taapsee Pannu rekindled our saree-love with her experimental attires Hema Malini: Rajesh Khanna would behave strangely with me ADVERTISEMENT EXPAND Is Karan Johar not launching Baahubali Prabhas in Bollywood because of his hefty fee?Is Karan Johar not launching Baahubali Prabhas in Bollywood because of his hefty fee? More From Movies Here's how Saaho actor Prabhas celebrated his birthdayHere's how Saaho actor Prabhas celebrated his birthday RELATED PROGRAMMES WATCH: Ajay-Emraan talk about Baadshaho, Prabhas-Mohanlal team up for Saaho WATCH: Ajay-Emraan talk about Baadshaho, Prabhas-Mohanlal team up for Saaho More Programmes LAUNCH GALLERY (13 IMAGES) Before Met Gala 2017: 11 bizarre outfits from last year that were real-life memes Suggested Stories . 6 pictures of Katrina Kaif playing a bold and beautiful bride will make you go weak in the knees Baahubali stars Prabhas and Anushka Shetty to make their relationship official? Amitabh-Rekha's untold love story: 10 lesser-known things about their relationship Nawazuddin Siddiqui-Niharika Singh affair: 5 photos of the ex-lovers you might have missed by Taboola Recommended The Show Wall Street Is Currently Obsessed With. Watch Now Hotstar Bigg Boss 11: Zubair Khan reveals how much he was paid per week for the show Unlimited Entertainment for Just ₹499 a year Amazon Prime Happy Birthday Amitabh Bachchan: These photos of Big B with Aaradhya-Navya are proof that he's Bollywood's coolest grandpa Check Your Name & DOB Compatibility. It Is Very Essential For Your Luck. Knowastro.com PHOTOS: Suhana Khan is the cynosure of all eyes at Gauri Khan's Halloween party Put Australia On Your Holiday List Tourism Australia SEE PICS: This is how Amitabh Bachchan celebrated Diwali with Aishwarya-Abhishek-Aaradhya Ready to Move - 2/3 BHK Apts with 40 world class amenities @45 Lacs Provident Housing Golmaal Again actor Ajay Devgn on flops in 2017: There's no good film which hasn't worked by Taboola Promoted Links Social News Movies on Social With the director of #roadies in #nepal called #himalayaroadies Aman! Thanks for having me there and involving me in #roadiesnepal @himalayaroadies_official 12 h rannvijaysingha 95 My lovely @katrinakaif cms to surprise @bachchan ! My original Sheila n the male version together @bomanirani Elvis left the building after u entered 13 h farahkhankunder 2.8k Watch Right Now Hindu Suraksha Samiti leader shot dead in Amritsar SHOCKING: Hindu Suraksha Samiti leader shot dead in Amritsar, incident caught on CCTV Narendra Modi PM Modi slams Chidambaram's remarks on Kashmir autonomy PM Modi didn't read my remarks on Kashmir in full PM Modi didn't read my remarks on Kashmir in full: Chidambaram The victim's father Uttar Pradesh: 5-year-old hit by car in minister's cavalcade in Gonda, dies More Videos So Sorry So Sorry So Sorry: What happens when Arvind Kejriwal's car gets stolen? Take a look More Videos Top Takes Screengrab 18 infants die in Ahmedabad: Congress protests, demands Gujarat CM Rupani's resignation Mumbai: MNS workers clash with hawkers in Malad Mumbai: MNS workers clash with hawkers in Malad, FIR against Congress' Sanjay Nirupam Kamal Haasan Kamal Haasan visits Chennai's Ennore creek, interacts with locals Woman left to die in Karnataka's Mandya SHOCKING | Woman left to die in Karnataka's Mandya, onlookers, police refuse to help More Videos
