The Indian film industry is undoubtedly one of the biggest in the world. Indian films are loved all around the globe and the film stars are revered like anything. Although there are some big stars who get handsomely paid for their work, there are some filmmakers who outshine the biggest movie stars in terms of popularity.
One such director who is extremely popular is SS Rajamouli. Rajamouli is one such name whose movies are highly anticipated. Not only in terms of popularity, but also the fee he charges for every movie is extremely high.
Rajamouli charges around ₹200 crore per movie
Telugu filmmaker SS Rajamouli currently holds the distinction of being India’s highest-paid film director. As per IMDd, the director charges approximately ₹200 crore for each movie he helms.
Industry sources reveal that this encompasses his initial fees, share of profits, and bonus for selling rights. The greater the revenue of a film, the larger his portion can become.
For RRR, the figure was approximately ₹200 crore. Rajamouli has reached this figure thanks to the success of his Baahubali series. The ₹200-crore payment places Rajamouli among the top-paid film directors in the nation. Even stars such as Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan charge between ₹150-180 crore per film, which is less than Rajamouli’s earnings.
Why is Rajamouli paid so much?
The substantial pay indicates the filmmaker’s superstar stature among directors. RRR was promoted in the north as Rajamouli’s film even with the involvement of two major stars – Ram Charan and Jr NTR. This is due to the fact that the success of Baahubali films has enabled him to become a pan-India figure.
Baahubali 2 grossed ₹510 crore in Hindi only and held the title of highest-grossing Hindi film for six years until Pathaan overtook it in 2023. Likewise, RRR additionally made more than ₹270 crore in Hindi.
Other highly paid filmmakers
As per industry insiders, no other filmmaker demands even 50% of Rajamouli’s fees, while prominent directors like Sandeep Reddy Vanga and Prasanth Neel earn approximately ₹90 crore per project. Rajkumar Hirani earns ₹80 crore, whereas Sukumar, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Lokesh Kanagaraj, and Siddharth Anand follow him, each demanding over ₹40 crore for every film. Producers such as Karan Johar and Rohit Shetty typically create their own movies, which is the reason they forgo salaries and solely receive profits.
