Rajinikanth is reportedly earning Rs 150 crore for his upcoming Rs 350-crore film Coolie, directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj. Despite the massive fee, it is still less than what Thalapathy Vijay is charging for Jana Nayagan
Rajinikanth
Actor Rajinikanth remains one of the biggest superstars in Indian cinema. Although he has primarily worked in Tamil films, his popularity spans across the country. For his upcoming film Coolie, the legendary actor will collaborate for the first time with filmmaker Lokesh Kanagaraj, one of Tamil cinema’s most successful directors. The film is being made on a staggering budget of ₹350 crore, with a significant portion allocated to Rajinikanth’s fee.
Rajinikanth to get Rs 150 crore for Coolie
According to a report by Pinkvilla, Rajinikanth is being paid an upfront fee of ₹150 crore for Coolie. Citing a source close to the production, the report stated:
“Rajinikanth has bagged an upfront salary of ₹150 crore for Coolie, which is among the highest ever paid to an actor. Lokesh Kanagaraj, on the other hand, received ₹50 crore, setting a record for a director. The remaining Rs 150 crore has been allocated to mounting the film and paying other cast and crew. The total budget of Coolie, excluding print and publicity, stands at Rs 350 crore.”
However, despite this massive fee, Rajinikanth’s paycheck is reportedly less than what Thalapathy Vijay is earning for his final film Jana Nayagan.According to multiple reports, Thalapathy Vijay has charged a whopping sum of Rs 250 crore for his next with director H Vinoth. It is a political drama with Aniruddh doing the music. For his recent release 'Greatest of All Times (GOAT), Vijay charged a whopping Rs 200 crore
Budget and pre-release business
The producers have set aside an additional ₹25 crore for print and publicity, taking the total production budget to ₹375 crore. Fortunately for Coolie, thanks to its immense pre-release buzz, the makers have already recovered a significant portion of the budget through non-theatrical avenues.
"Coolie has fetched Rs 130 crore from digital streaming rights, ₹90 crore from satellite rights, and ₹20 crore from music rights. This totals ₹240 crore in non-theatrical revenue, leaving Rs 135 crore to be recovered through theatrical business,” the source added.
About Coolie
Coolie, expected to be an action-packed thriller, will feature an ensemble cast from across the Indian film industry. Apart from Rajinikanth, the film stars Telugu actor Nagarjuna, Kannada star Upendra, Malayalam actor Soubin Shahir, and Tamil veteran Sathyaraj. Bollywood icon Aamir Khan is also rumored to make a cameo appearance.
The cast also includes Shruti Haasan, Reba Monica John, and Junior MGR in significant roles.
The film is produced by Kalanithi Maran under the Sun Pictures banner. Anirudh Ravichander is composing the music, with cinematography by Girish Gangadharan and editing by Philomin Raj.
Coolie marks Rajinikanth’s 171st film and is centered around gold smuggling. Director Lokesh Kanagaraj has confirmed that the film will be a standalone project and not a part of his Lokesh Cinematic Universe (LCU).
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