There is growing chatter around the fees charged by actors Shah Rukh Khan and Akshay Kumar, with a report claiming that Khan’s fee for his upcoming film, Pathaan, is less than half of Kumar’s rumoured Cuttputlli (2022) fee. SRK reportedly charged Rs. 35-40 crore along with a profit-sharing deal for Pathaan, while Kumar’s fee for Cuttputlli was Rs. 120 crore, which was 80% of the film’s budget. The comparison has left Cuttputlli producer Jackky Bhagnani amused.

“Whoever calculates actors’ fees this way is making a misinformed calculation. Every top actor in the industry now has a stake in a film’s profit,” says Bhagnani.

Nowadays, actors command a share, ranging from 50% to 80% from the profits of a film, besides a flat upfront fee. The producer continues, “Their overall fee is a function of that stake and how much the film earns at the box office. This is the way it works for all leading actors, including Shah Rukh Khan, Akshay Kumar and Salman Khan. To compare one actor’s base fee with another star’s overall profit earning is like comparing apples with oranges.”

While Bhagnani doesn’t talk at length about Kumar’s fee structure, he says his long-running association with the actor is a sign of his fair pay demands.

“I am doing my fourth film, as a producer, with Akshay sir and I find him the fairest when it comes to charging his fees,” the producer signs off.