In 90s, his success overthrew Amitabh Bachchan, and became the highest-paid stars in the country. He is none other than megastar Chiranjeevi, who is undoubtedly, one of the biggest names in Telugu cinema.
How Chiranjeevi became the highest-paid actor in 90s?
An old cover of the Week Magazine, dating back in 1992, headlined Chiranjeevi as the cover boy, with the title that screamed: 'Bigger than Bachchan'. The magazine reported that Chiranjeevi had broken the Rs 1 crore barrier by charging Rs 1.25 crore for film Aapadbandhavudu. At that time, Big B had taken a hiatus from films, which meant Chiranjeevi took over his spot, and became the highest-paid Indian actor. Reportedly, other top stars such as Rajinikanth, Sunny Deol, Govinda used to charge Rs 50 to Rs 60 lakh per film.
After Chiranjeevi, who all entered the Rs 1 crore club?
After Chiranjeevi, Kamal Hassan and Rajnikanth too entered the club as they charged Rs 1 crore per film. Moreover, Amitabh Bachchan, upon his return to films, became the first Bollywood actor to charge Rs 1 crore per film.
The late 90s saw a shift in power dynamics and economics of India cinema. By the end, the three top Bollywood stars- Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan began charging more- commanding Rs 2-3 crore per films.
It was in late 1980s, Chiranjeevi's remarkable career solidified his position as one of the biggest names in Indian cinema. He worked in over 150 films as an actor, dancer and producer, and was reportedly dubbed as "The New Money Machine" in 90s after delivering 14 consecutive hits in a year.
Currently, Chiranjeevi's net worth is estimated to be around Rs 1650 crore, thanks to his prolific career and remarkable legacy in Indian cinema.