A major complaint by audiences against ticket rate hikes is that they are not morally justified when heroes take home exorbitant fees. Producers have defended actors even when both theatrical and non-theatrical revenues have dipped drastically in the last two years.
The latest one to do is Y Ravi Shankar of Mythri Movie Makers. He has revealed that Ram Charan postponed receiving a major part (Rs 4 Cr) of his remuneration for Rangasthalam, accepting it in installments of Rs 10-20 lakh over two years. This was much before the OTT slump made things worse. Mahesh Babu made a similar concession when the banner made Sarkaru Vaari Paata. Megastar Chiranjeevi didn't demand upfront remuneration when Waltair Veerayya was made by the production house. Similarly, Ravi Teja and Ram Pothineni have shown leniency when it comes to remuneration in the age of depleting non-theatrical revenues. Ravi Shankar added that Jr NTR, too, doesn't insist on receiving his paycheck on an immediate basis. Prabhas and Pawan Kalyan, too, are flexible.
In the case of top banners like Mythri, Sri Venkateswara Creations, Sithara Entertainments and People Media Factory, they carry goodwill among actors and technicians in the industry. They are also too important to be treated purely in commercial terms. Siddu Jonnalagadda recently did Telusu Kada without having a formal agreement with PMF.
