Asira Tarannum (MID-DAY; January 12, 2015)

Unlike the previous years, this edition of Saifai Mahotsav was a low-key affair. But, a bevy of Bollywood stars including Hrithik Roshan, Parineeti Chopra and Jacqueline Fernandez added glamour to the event held in Saifai, the ancestral village of Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav and Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav.

Buzz is that Jacqueline was paid a whopping Rs 75 lakh for her three-minute performance on the closing day of the 14-day festival. Says a source, “The Mahotsav attracts ministers, top notch officers, corporate honchos and the glitterati. All film stars who perform there charge a lot of money. The big surprise this year was Jacqueline being paid Rs 75 lakh for a three-minute act.”

This time round, Hrithik was the only Bollywood A-lister at the event, which concluded on January 8. Apart from Parineeti and Jacqueline, Huma Qureshi and Richa Chadha also performed. The Saifai show has, in the past, hosted actors like Salman Khan and Madhuri Dixit and was in the eye of a storm last year as it was held soon after the Muzaffarnagar riots that claimed 38 lives.

Jacqueline remained unavailable for comment.