Sonil Dedhia (MID-DAY; March 24, 2018)

While Race has been a successful franchise, producer Ramesh Taurani is well-aware that he has got a trump card in Salman Khan who has joined the cast of the third instalment. Khan, who is also one of the co-producers of Race 3 that also stars Jacqueline Fernandez, Anil Kapoor and Bobby Deol among others, is making the most of the star power that he brings to the action thriller — rumours are rife that the makers are eyeing a whopping Rs 150 crore for the film’s satellite rights.

A source reveals, “Salman’s last outing Tiger Zinda hai (2017) had earned around Rs 70 crore from the satellite rights, which was said to be the highest price paid for a Bollywood film. With the actor joining the cast of Race 3, Taurani and he are looking at doubling the figure. After a few talks, the duo has decided that they will offer the airing rights at Rs 150 crore.”

The insider adds that a leading channel has already offered Rs 75 crore, but the producers are in no mood to reduce the price. “Salman has also decided to take a percentage of the film’s profit and the earnings from the satellite rights.” When contacted, Taurani said, “I am not aware [of this] and I would not like to talk about it.”