Prabhas is too costly at 20 cr but Varun Dhawan deserves 25 cr?

Lately there has been much buzz about Karan Johar dropping the idea of launching Telugu superstar Prabhas in Bollywood with his film. The reason: Prabhas reportedly hiked his fee to Rs 20 crore.

A source told DNA, "While it was okay for him to ask and get his desired price - reportedly in the vicinity of Rs 20 crore - in Telugu cinema, it was unrealistic for Prabhas to expect that kind of remuneration in Bollywood. No South Indian actor, not even Rajinikanth, has that kind of commercial clout in Hindi cinema. Prabhas has clearly out-priced himself from Bollywood. After Baahubali and its sequel, Karan was keen to launch Prabhas in Hindi cinema. But on seeing the price he was asking, Karan has decided to abandon the idea of launching him."

Karan Johar wrote a cryptic tweet, and there is speculation whether he was directing it at Prabhas.

Karan Johar@karanjohar

Dear Ambition...if you have to achieve your full potential stay away from your arch nemesis...Comparison!

Well, easier said than done, KJo.

Prabhas's demand for this fee was not such a surprise, as he had already demanded Rs 30 crore for his bilingual film, Saaho, starring Shraddha Kapoor.

A quick reminder: Varun Dhawan was in the news recently for hiking his fee to Rs 25 crore, after the success of Judwaa 2, a crass David Dhawan comedy. So why is it "unrealistic" for Prabhas to have such expectations from Bollywood?

THE BAAHUBALI PHENOMENON

Both Prabhas's films, Baahubali: The Beginning, and Baahubali: The Conclusion, performed phenomenally well in the international market, overriding Bollywood's big-ticket films such as Jab Harry Met Sejal and Tubelight. Both the Baahubali films received glowing praise for their storyline, acting, cinematography and sheer opulence. The epic historical fiction films told the story of the lost rightful heir of the fictional kingdom of Mahishmati, who falls in love with a rebellious warrior. The film actually has a plot, as compared to many of Bollywood's box-office successes, eg. Judwaa 2 and Golmaal Again.

The film crossed Rs 1500 crore worldwide, and broke records. Prabhas, who was already a superstar in the Telugu film industry, became an established name in Bollywood as well, thanks to the Hindi versions of both the films. The success of Baahubali paved the way for other South Indian films such as Mersal, Spyder and Vivegam. If box office collections are anything to go by, this year's Baahubali 2 surpassed all Bollywood films.

IS THERE A DISCREPANCY?

Let's take a look at the fee of popular Bollywood stars. Salman Khan gets Rs 60 crore, Aamir Khan charges Rs 50 crore, and SRK charges Rs 40-45 crore. Fair enough. Akshay Kumar and Hrithik Roshan too charge between Rs 40-50 crore. Ranbir Kapoor charges Rs 25 crore, Ranveer Singh charges Rs 20 crore, and Shahid Kapoor charges between Rs 15-18 crore. Ajay Devgn charges between Rs 20-25 crore. And, it's not as if all these actors have had a consistent amount of resounding hits either. Let's not forget the Besharam, Tubelight and Shaandaar debacles.

So why can't Prabhas, who has been hailed as one of India's prominent stars, ask for Rs 20 crore for a Karan Johar film? Seriously, even Ajay Devgn with his uneven performances and bombs like Shivaay gets more.

Not just Prabhas, why can't a superstar like Rajinikanth or any other South Indian star who have carved a name for themselves with years of hard work and dedication and powerful films, not expect a better opening in Bollywood? Or have people conveniently set Bollywood above all other Indian film industries?

In fact, Rajnikanth wields a strong influence over the South and a staggering fan-base, almost overpowering many Bollywood actors.

These disparaging statements clearly show the ever-widening gap between Bollywood stars and regional stars in the country. There seems to be an inherent misconception that Bollywood is the face of Indian cinema, when in reality, it isn't. Let's remember, Prabhas achieved international recognition without Bollywood.

So the belief that South Indian stars mustn't expect high fees in Bollywood is completely bizarre. Bollywood lovers too deserve to watch good actors. Prabhas certainly is one of them.