WHO Earns The Most On TV?................

TV actors may faint on the sets, but it's all worth it! So who's the highest paid of 'em all?

Tellyland has big money. And if the pay packets are anything to go by, then the top TV actors will soon be competing with the Bollywood stars. But unlike Bollywood, the system here is not simple. While some actors are bound by exclusive contracts to work for a particular production house, others are paid for the number of days that they work for. Among the men, it's Ronit Roy who is apparently the highest paid, followed by Anuj Saxena and Rohit Roy.

According to sources, Ronit is paid a whopping Rs 15 lakh a month. And among the female actors, it's Smriti Iraani who takes home around Rs 40-50,000 every day. The others to follow her are Saakshi Tanwar, Urvashi Dholakia and Sangeeta Ghosh. "These actors ask for anything between Rs 30 to 40,000 per day. And whether they get the amount they quote, also depends on the popularity of the character they play. For example Urvashi is being paid around Rs 30 to 35,000 per day for playing Komolika in Kasautii Zindagii Kay," says a source.

TV actors are said to have a shorter shelf-life, so is it because of this that there's a drive to make more money which even means working round the clock? Actor Smriti Iraani says, "That's something that one has to decide. Whether one wants to be an actor or a star. The pay cheques are definitely better than what they used to be." Says producer Shristi Arya, "The money I paid Nigaar Z Khan when I launched her in my serial Lipstick about three years back and the amount I paid Priya Wal for Remix now are very different."

WHAT ACTORS MAKE!

Smriti Iraani - 40-50,000 per day

Ronit Roy - Rs 15 lakh a month

Rohit Roy - 30-35,000 per day

Saakshi Tanvar - 30-35,000 per day

Anuj Saxena - 25-30,000 per day

Iqbal Khan - 20-30,000 per day

Eijaz Khan - 20-30,000 per day

(Approximate figures in Rs)