The order of top-paid stars in the South Indian film industry underwent a change with Superstar Rajinikanth suddenly increasing his remuneration aggressively for the sequel of “Jailer” and Allu Arjun overtaking Prabhas after the success of “Pushpa 2.”
Superstar Rajinikanth is currently working on “Coolie,” directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj. And filming for his next “Jailer 2 is expected to begin soon. Rajinikanth’s previous film, Jailer, set new box office records for Tamil cinema, prompting the production company to offer him a hike in remuneration. With this, Rajinikanth has once again reclaimed the title of the highest-paid actor in India.
The next highest-paid actor is fellow Tamil star Thalapathy Vijay. He is currently working on “Jana Nayagan,” which is being billed as his final film before stepping into politics.
Following Vijay is Telugu star Allu Arjun. For “Pushpa 2,” he has secured not only a substantial remuneration (close to Rs 200 Cr), but he is also demanding a share in the overall business besides a fixed amount.
Next on the list is Prabhas. Once the highest-paid actor in India, Prabhas has seen a shift in his remuneration strategy. Rather than focusing on a single large paycheck, he is currently juggling six film projects, aiming for long-term earnings through volume.
Rounding out the top five is Tamil actor Ajith Kumar, who continues to command a high salary.
Here is the compilation of paychecks of top South Indian actors. We have collected information from various production companies.
1. Rajinikanth – Rs crore (for Jailer 2)
2. Thalapathy Vijay – Rs 250 crore (for Jana Nayakan)
3. Allu Arjun – Rs 175 crore + 15% profit share (for AA22-A6)
4. Prabhas – Rs 175 crore (all current projects)
5. Ajith Kumar – Rs 160 crore (current film)
