They take home big pay cheques for dancing at weddings, so why not earn a buck while shaking a leg for the gods? The Navratri season has become the latest money-spinner for Bollywood stars and there are big bucks involved.
As usual Salman Khan is among the top earners and he recently recieved a request from Gujarat to make an appearance at a Navratri pandal. The whopping amount demanded by Salman bordered on approximately Rs 2 crore and the organisers were more than happy to give the actor the big pay cheque for a half-an-hour appearance.
A source close to Salman confirmed the development but remained mum on the amount, simply saying, "Yes, there has been an offer made to him for an appearance in Gujarat over the Navratri season. He is figuring out his dates to accommodate the offer."
Close in the heels of Sallu is Shah Rukh Khan who instead works hard to entertain the crowds. The actor gets paid approximately Rs 2.25 crore to make an appearance during the festive season and he is a crowd pleaser offscreen too as he interacts with the crowd, invites them on stage for a dance and is not miserly with autographs and photographs.
Akshay Kumar is another popular name in the Navratri circuit but as the actor usually has more than 4 releases a year, shooting and publicity duties often keep him busy. But when he does have a free spot on his schedule for an appearance, Akshay takes home approximately Rs1.75 crore for one.
Hrithik Roshan too is extremely selective about his appearances but gets paid approximately Rs1.5 crore for showing up at a pandal. And once he is on stage, Hrithik owns it with his popular dance moves.
Ranbir Kapoor, who was recently referred to as the 'Naya Ladka' by Salman is giving a tough fight to the Khans with his increasing popularity and box office hits.
Ranbir has not yet started making the paid rounds in front of deities but he has been inundated with requests this year and the figure of Rs 2 crore has been bandied about. Only time will tell if Ranbir will bite the godly bait.
But the appearances come for free when these big names have a film to promote. After all faith makes the world go round.
