This year, Bodyguard and Ra.One have both raked in over R 100 crore, which makes it a successful year for Kareena Kapoor, the feminine lead of both films. And cashing in on the films’ good run at the box office, the actor has decided to hike her fee.
Apparently, she is going to pocket over R 7 crore for her next, Madhur Bhandarkar’s Heroine. “Bebo was offered Heroine twice, but she didn’t provides it a green signal because she and the makers, UTV and Bhandarkar, couldn’t agree on the fee. But now, things are sorted,” says a detailed associate of the actor.
If the reported amount is true, Kareena Kapoor will replace Aishwarya Rai as Bollywood’s highest paid female actor, according to trade sources. The latter had starred alongside Rajnikanth in Endhiran: The Robot last year for a reported fee of around R 6 crore.
Ask Kareena Kapoor to comment and she says that she’s “up for that challenge” regarding her role, but refuses to talk about money. “Till date, I’ve never discussed my pay cheque in the media. Except for Heroine, I am getting only what I rightly deserve,” she says with a smile. In the recent past, she has acted in blockbusters like 3 Idiots (R 200 crore, 2009) and Golmaal 3 (over R 100 crore, 2010). But she is wary of the pressure that comes with her success:
“On the first day of the shoot, I was nervous because there’s a lot of pressure. We planning to do something very different.” The actor was also recently voted the sexiest Asian woman in the world by the weekly newspaper, Eastern Eye. She says, “I when I was told about it. I am not used to it. And that too from Asia, which is a huge continent. The thought is scary and unbelievable. When I told Saif, he was like, ‘Why Asia? It’s in the world.’ I think that was quite sweet.”
And although Kareena Kapoor has been anointed the ’100-crore heroine’, having worked in four such films 3 Idiots, Golmaal 3, Bodyguard and Ra.One, she hopes Heroine too rakes in the money. She says, “That’s all because the pressure (of the 100-crore tag) is on my head.”
The original choice for Heroine’s lead role, Kareena Kapoor only stepped into the project once Aishwarya Rai backed out after announcing she was pregnant. Nonetheless, she’s looking forward to her role: “My character in the film is me. It’s something I can relate to, and so I hope I will be able to do it well.”
Next post
