Nandamuri Balakrishna has significantly increased his remuneration over the past few years.
From charging around Rs 12 crore per film, he scaled it up to nearly Rs 45 crore within a span of five years.
The major jump came around Bhagavanth Kesari, after which producer Naga Vamsi reportedly offered him Rs 28 crore for Daaku Maharaj to secure his dates quickly, marking one of the steepest hikes in his career.
For Akhanda 2, Balakrishna initially charged Rs 45 crore and also brought his daughter Tejaswini Nandamuri on board as presenter. However, the film ran into financial hurdles and faced delays in release.
To ease the situation, Balakrishna reportedly waived Rs 7 crore from his fee, bringing his final remuneration down to Rs 37 crore.
Now, for his upcoming film with Koratala Siva, there will be no hike in remuneration. He is expected to keep his fee below Rs 35 crore. Additionally, there are no plans for his daughter to be associated with the project as presenter.
Given the current market conditions and a slowdown in the OTT space, Balakrishna appears to have recalibrated his remuneration expectations.