Upala KBR (DNA; August 19, 2016)


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?

Shaheen Parkar (MID-DAY; August 9, 2016)

In what could be termed as the casting coup of the decade, Amitabh Bachchan and Aamir Khan are teaming up for the first time. Big B and Mr Perfectionist will share screen space in Vijay Krishna Acharya's untitled venture under the Yash Raj banner. The production is being reportedly referred to as Thug.

Sources say the two stars have given their nod to producer Aditya Chopra and are looking forward to working together. Bachchan, 73, and Aamir, 51, have been in the industry for decades, but have not been cast for the same project all these years casting them together. Each is known for his histrionics and having the two together on screen promises to be no less than a treat for Bollywood fans.

Says a source, "The makers are known to keep each of their projects under wraps till it gets rolling. Everyone associated with the venture has been told to keep mum till an official announcement is made. It is an ambitious project, no doubt." Acharya, better known as Victor in Bollywood, earlier directed Tashan (2008) and Dhoom 3 (2013) which starred Aamir. For a while, the film had been creating more buzz for its casting. There was talk that Hrithik Roshan was approached, but he apparently had some reservations and turned it down. There was also speculations about Deepika Padukone and Nawazuddin Siddiqui being offered the film.

The upcoming production is being described as an action adventure. There is talk about the film being inspired by Philip Meadows Taylor's 1839 book, Confessions of a Thug. Set in the British-India era, the book highlights the then rampant thug culture and the killing of travellers for money and valuables.

For now, we will have to wait for an official announcement.

Upala KBR (DNA; August 8, 2016)


The Yash Raj film, Thug, was earlier offered to Hrithik Roshan, who asked for some changes. It didn’t work out to his expectations and he moved on to Kaabil, while Victor went back to the writing table. The director came up with a script so different from what was offered to Roshan Jr that it’s almost like a different film, with very little resemblance to the original script.

And he approached Aamir with the revised version, who said yes almost immediately, as he was looking to do something light and fun after Dangal, in which he plays a father to three teenage girls.

BOMBAY TIMES (July 27, 2016)

DNA (July 6, 2016)

Hrithik Roshan’s next film called Thug is said to be based on the novel Confession Of A Thug, written by Phillip Meadows Taylor in 1839 about the thuggee (an organised gang of professional robbers and murderers who killed travellers for money and valuables) cult in British India. The novel is based on the life of a real thug called Syeed Amir Ali and his father whom the author knew. A few years ago Sanjay Leela Bhansali was to start a film, Jhirni, based on the same novel, but that didn’t materialise. Amitabh Bachchan is playing Hrithik’s father in the film. Both Bhansali favourites. SLB would approve.

Upala KBR (DNA; October 26, 2015)


A source informs, “YRF is working on two action dramas — Thug and Dhoom 4, both directed by Victor. The story of Thug is kept under wraps as Hrithik begins shooting for it from January next year. It’s a fantasy film, set against a fictional historical setting, and revolves around the adventures of a dashing pirate captain (Hrithik) and his crew. Hrithik’s character is something like Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) and what he plays in the Pirates Of The Caribbean (POTC) series. As Aditya Chopra has made a successful franchise of the Dhoom series, the idea is to make a Thug series if the first one is successful. Hrithik is excited about playing a swashbuckling pirate, something he hasn’t done before. He has been sitting through various look tests with Victor and Adi. The shooting of Thug will begin from January next year.”

The source adds that a huge set of a ship will be put up in YRF during the next couple of months where the major scenes on board will be canned. “The first schedule is a lengthy one — 150 days — after which, more than half of the film is expected to be ready. The lead actress opposite Hrithik is being finalised.”

There were talks of Deepika Padukone signing Thug opposite Hrithik, but she has denied those reports.