According to industry buzz, a senior star with mass image in the Telugu film industry has reportedly taken a significant pay cut, reducing his remuneration. He was drawing around Rs. 20 crores, which has now seen more than a 40% cut after a series of disasters. This reflects even established actors are bound to be now affected by box office failures.
For a long time, this ‘so-called’ mass favorite star enjoyed strong demand. Producers were willing to pay premium fees purely based on some of his past successes. For every three to four flops, he used to deliver one hit movie. But now, that one hit has also become almost impossible. So that equation has changed. A string of flops and weak script choices have affected both his box office pull and industry confidence. The audience has now lost interest in watching his films in theatres. To win back his audience, he is now ready for a remuneration cut.
While he wants to project the pay cut as a step to support producers, industry circles suggest the reality is more direct. Producers are simply not willing to offer the earlier fees anymore.
This development is one more step toward industry correction. Budgets are tighter, OTT deals are no longer providing easy recovery, and producers are evaluating risk more carefully. In this environment, past reputation alone is not enough. Recent performance matters more than ever.
The senior actor is now concentrating on delivering good films, one of them is reportedly a devotion-based film, that can win back his audience, market standing, box office pull, and premium remuneration.
