Not Shah Rukh Khan or Amitabh Bachchan, but a veteran South superstar is the highest paid actor in India- charged Rs 150 crore to appear in 2024 blockbuster

India’s top-earning film star is not Bollywood legends Shah Rukh Khan or Amitabh Bachchan, nor even pan-Indian sensation Prabhas. According to filmmaker-actor Yugi Sethu, the distinction currently belongs to Tamil cinema veteran Kamal Haasan, who reportedly commanded an extraordinary remuneration for his appearance in the futuristic epic Kalki 2898 AD.

During a conversation with the entertainment platform Indiaglitz, Sethu revealed that Haasan was paid about ₹150 crore for portraying a pivotal character in the ambitious science-fiction film helmed by director Nag Ashwin. He explained that the legendary actor’s compensation for the project effectively placed him at the very top of the country’s pay scale for performers. Based on the limited number of shooting days the star devoted to the production, Sethu remarked that Haasan’s earnings translated into an astonishing per-day figure that could rival the highest international paychecks in the film industry.

Sethu also recounted an amusing moment connected to the project. He described how Haasan introduced him to the film’s producer, C. Aswani Dutt. While meeting the producer, Sethu jokingly expressed gratitude for enabling their friend to become the most highly paid performer in the country. At that point, Dutt reportedly clarified that Haasan’s participation in the film had been even shorter than initially assumed, noting that the actor had only dedicated around ten days to the shoot rather than the twenty days that Sethu had first mentioned. The revelation prompted Sethu to humorously revise his earlier calculation and remark that the per-day earnings would therefore be even more staggering.


Sethu’s comments carry credibility because his association with Haasan stretches back many years. The two performers have shared screen space in well-known Tamil films such as Panchatanthiram and Anbe Sivam. Their professional relationship has grown into a friendship that spans more than two decades, making Sethu’s praise sound less like promotional hype and more like the pride of a longtime collaborator witnessing his colleague’s achievements.

In Kalki 2898 AD, Haasan portrays the formidable Supreme Yaskin, a tyrannical ruler presiding over a bleak futuristic domain called the Complex. Although the role occupies relatively limited screen time in the first installment, the character plays a crucial narrative role. The film’s conclusion strongly indicates that Yaskin will have a much larger presence when the sequel unfolds.

The discussion about Haasan’s record-breaking remuneration also reflects the resurgence of his career in recent years. After experiencing a period of fluctuating commercial performance, the actor staged a powerful comeback with Vikram in 2022, a blockbuster that generated nearly ₹400 crore worldwide against a production cost of roughly ₹150 crore. The film’s success significantly boosted his market standing.

Production on the next chapter of the Kalki saga has already begun. Veteran star Amitabh Bachchan recently shared images from the set featuring Haasan, noting that the two icons were collaborating again after a long gap. Meanwhile, Haasan is also preparing for another major venture that will reunite him with fellow superstar Rajinikanth in a film directed by Nelson Dilipkumar, the filmmaker behind the blockbuster Jailer.