Abrity Basu
Kolkata, November 9, 2005
Time was when television could not match Bollywod in terms of glitz or the money involved, though shows such as Chitrahaar, Buniyaad, Hum Log and Superhit Muqabla drew large audiences. Now the small screen has turned big with the coming of the K serials and Kaun Banega Crorepati.
TV stars are nothing sort of icons now and their pay packets are hefty. "I could never have imagined getting the kind of money I'm getting now from television," says Shekhar Suman, the highest-paid television personality. Shekhar's earnings indicate how lucrative a career in television can be. His "pay has just climbed upwards" since he bagged a three-year contract for a whopping Rs 25 crore for Movers and Shakers.
The commercial viability of television actors has gone up as a result of the daily soaps bringing forth competent actors, says Shekhar. "Each actor is paid depending on his or her status or popularity in the medium," he says. This, perhaps, explains why Smriti Irani receives Rs 50,000 per episode of Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, while getting her to endorse a product can cost up to Rs 5 lakh.
"The small screen has really come of age. Earlier, people saw it only as a stepping-stone to Bollywood. Nowadays, some actors also look at television as the ultimate goal," says Smriti. "In films it is a one-off experience.
On television, there is the security of a regular income because of long-running serials. Therefore, more people are attracted to building their career around the small screen," she says. However, the lucrativeness depends a lot on how much one has been able to carve out a niche for oneself, says Shekhar.
People like Smriti had initially got merely Rs 8,000 per episode of Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi getting Rs 35,000 only after the character of Tulsi caught the audience's fancy. Smriti started earning Rs 50,000 only after the last generation leap, say insiders. Mona 'Jassi' Singh, who had started on a paltry Rs 5,000 per episode, got Rs 28,000 only after her character became popular.
Kumkum Bhagya
