Ash beats Bebo, becomes highest paid

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has been signed for a whopping Rs 4 crores for Shankar’s Robot. And this is no April Fool’s joke, we are playing. Yes, you are reading it correct...Its for her role as female lead opposite south superstar Rajnikant in that has won Ash the award for being the highest paid actress.

An industry insider informs us that Aishwaya demanded 6 crores after assessing the scale of this film. Apparently in south, actors earn in crores but when it comes to actresses, they pay less. It is a known fact that their known and popular actresses have had to settle for less than a crore.

After her marriage Aishwarya has become very selective about her films. Moreover the success of her last film Guru has made her increase her price. A source close to Bachchans said “Aishwarya was adamant on 6 crores. She did not sign the film till the filmmaker agreed on her quoted amount.

However Rajnikant who will be seen opposite her in Robot decided to find a solution. Rajnikant happens to be very good friend of Amitabh Bachchan and the South superstar had a word with his Hindi counterpart and after some negotiation, Aishwarya signed Robot for Rs 4 crores.

It can be recalled that recently Kareena has been singed for 3.5 crores which is considered as the highest price for actresses in Bollywood. That made Aishwarya who used to charge 3 crore per film, the second highest paid actress in Bollywood. Now again after signing Robot Aishwarya has once again has become the highest paid actress in Bollywood.

When asked, Aishwarya did not speak about the money. She said, “I have always been a professional as an actor. I don't believe in the number games. I believe in my work. I am a professional and other things don't matter to me.”

Both Kareena Kapoor and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan can count their number of hits on their fingertips. Kareena has had only one solo hit, Jab We Met and one multistarrer Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gum, while Ash has had Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and Guru. So it is actually a well oiled publicity vehicle backed by a good marketing strategy that has helped these two actresses demand such huge remunerations.

And the icing on the cake are their last names. One is a Kapoor beti and the other a Bachchan bahu.. So don’t ever say what’s in a name? Perhaps a few crores...