Ayushmann Khurrana answers how many times he hiked fee in 13 years, says did Andhadhun for Rs 1: ‘Lottery lagg gayi, it was a hit in China’

Actor Ayushmann Khurrana recently revealed that he did Sriram Raghavan's Andhadhun for free, taking a part of the profits instead of upfront fee.

Ayushmann Khurrana answers how many times he hiked fee in 13 years

The entertainment industry has been buzzing with conversations about exceedingly huge budgets of films. Many filmmakers have even expressed concern about the high actor fees consuming a significant amount of the total production cost, often accounting for upto 60 to 70 per cent of the film’s budget. However, Ayushmann Khurrana counts himself in a different league.

In a recent interview, when asked how many times he has raised his fee from the beginning of his career, the actor said he doesn’t know the details but revealed that he asked Sriram Raghavan to pay him only Re 1 before their hit film Andhadhun. He eventually gained profits after the movie became a blockbuster success, especially in China. The actor was hinting on backend deals where instead of charging a flat salary upfront, actors take a part of the film’s profits. Top stars including Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan do these deals; they are also the co-producers of the film.

During a conversation with Komal Nahta on his Youtube channel, Ayushmann, who is currently enjoying the success of his latest Thamma, revealed that he never goes over the top while asking for his fees. “For me, Saraswati comes before Laxmi. I am a producer friendly actor. I never go all out while asking for my rate. My first priority is for the film to work. If the film earns well, then one should be paid more. Everyone has to come together and take this decision,” he said.

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When asked about the number of times he has increased his remuneration, since he started his career 13 years ago. “It has increased, ofcourse. My management would know more about that. I genuinely have no idea. I am a Punjabi man and very artistic by nature. I am the purest from inside. My right brain works more, the left side of the brain doesn’t work much,” he shared.

The actor then recalled that he didn’t charge any money for Andhadhun initially, until the movie performed well at the box office. “In Andhadhun, I told Sriram sir directly on his face that I don’t want to talk about money at all. This is a passion project. I want to do this film, just give me Re 1. You can give the rest of the money after the film is a success. The most amazing thing is that it collected so much money in China, meri toh lottery lagg gayi. I was so sold to that film. It had two pages, with a twist in every line. I said, ‘Yeh kya paagalpan hai (what madness is this)’,” said Ayushmann.

Talking about his film Thamma, besides Ayushmann Khurrana, the film also stars Rashmika Mandanna, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Paresh Rawal, Varun Dhawan, Faisal Malik, Geeta Agrawal Sharma, and Alexx O’Nell in vital roles. Helmed by Aditya Sarpotdar and produced by Maddock Films, it hit the big screen on Diwali.

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