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Upala KBR (DNA; August 19, 2016)

Hrithik Roshan’s recent Rs 550 crore exclusive deal with a TV network could be to blame for his exit from Aditya Chopra’s Thug. As per that, all the actor’s films’ satellite rights are sold to that channel for a set amount.

Says a source, “Hrithik has made a deal with Star TV for the exclusive privilege of premiering and broadcasting of all his films releasing in 2017. While Hrithik had brokered this deal himself, sometimes a production house and a TV network do it too for specific films or a certain number of films as a package. In Aditya Chopra’s case, he has brokered a deal with a rival TV channel, Sony, for the films produced by his banner.

When Salman Khan signed Sultan, YRF allowed him to give the satellite rights of the film to Star, but in Hrithik’s case, for Thug, Adi wanted to pay him off with a certain amount, but not give him the satellite rights as he had to stick to his own contract with Sony. This irked Hrithik who was adamant about sticking to his commitment. Says a source, “His stand was, if Salman got his satellite rights, why not me? It was a matter of principle and he couldn’t understand why the differenciation. Once Hrithik walked off, Aamir was approached as he doesn’t take satellite rights, only a fee and back-end of the profits.”
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Insiders blame Duggu’s exit on a Rs 60cr fee demand
Nayandeep Rakshit (DNA; August 19, 2016)

A trade source on the condition of anonymity reveals, “Hrithik asked YRF for a hefty fee of Rs 60 crore for Thug, which Aditya Chopra felt was too high. They tried to negotiate but when they couldn’t reach an understanding, they decided to part ways.”

Adds our source, “Even superstars like Shah Rukh, Salman, Aamir Khan have a reasonable take-home. They are bankable stars and still charge into a profit-sharing agreement with production houses. Hrithik didn’t want that. He wanted a flat fee of Rs 60 crore and that was outright rejected by Adi. Profit sharing also means that the actor might not make major moolah if his film fails to work at the BO. So it’s risky, which is why Hrithik perhaps wanted a flat fee, which is safe.”

Being an adventure saga, Thug will be an expensive film. Add to it, Hrithik’s Rs 60 crore demand and the film would have had to make over Rs 250 crore to break even. With Hrithik at the helm, that figure was gettable, but not a certainty. With Aamir’s record, the rs 250 crore-mark is a sure-shot. And with AK accepting Thug on a profit-sharing basis, the film will not be loaded with extra cost. All’s well that ends well?