There is three times more money in South films, but one cannot go near ‘egoistic’ directors, says Lagaan actor Pradeep Rawat: ‘Paanch feet kareeb bhi nahi jaa sakte’

Actor Pradeep Rawat, who starred in films such as Sarfarosh, Ghajini and Lagaan, has opened up about his experience working in South Indian films. Apart from directors with ego issues, Pradeep said that South offers three times more money than Bollywood. In an interview with Siddharth Kannan, Pradeep, who has worked in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam films, opened up about the stark difference in the remuneration between the north and south film industries. He said, “In today’s times, money for the actors is more in down South rather than Mumbai. If you are getting Rs 100 in Mumbai, you will get Rs 300 in South. He further said, “Agar Mumbai mai actor ko Rs 1 lakh mil raha hai ek din ka, waha unko Rs 3 lakh milega. Aur unko maangna nahi padta (If in Mumbai an actor makes Rs 1 lakh per day, in the South, they’ll make Rs 3 lakh per day without even asking for it).”

When asked if he has worked with egotistical directors, he said ‘yes’. The actor added, “South mai ek se badhkar ek ‘thala’ directors hai. Unke apne ago hai. Paanch feet tak nasdeek bhi nahi ja sakte. Paanch feet kareeb bhi nahi jaa sakte aap, unke bodyguards rehte hai. (The South has several egotistical directors; they don’t even allow you within five feet of them. Nobody is allowed to go near them).”

 

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In an interview with News18, Pradeep had previously revealed why he stopped acting in Bollywood films. He said, “It’s not in my hands. After Lagaan, I did Ghajini which was Bollywood’s first film to make Rs 100 crore in 2010. It became a huge hit. After that, I have not been getting good characters. I felt that after doing such good roles, I could not take up just about anything. Plus, there was no urgency to run the family. I was getting films in the South and they were working well for me. Things happen on their own in our line of work.”

Pradeep recently reunited with Aamir Khan at the special anniversary screening of Sarfarosh in Mumbai.