Kartik Aaryan makes a killing with Dhamaka, is paid Rs 20 crore for 10 days of work

Kartik Aaryan | On March 22 the actor revealed that he has been tested positive for novel coronavirus. Hours before the news, the actor appeared at the Lakme India Fashion Week as the showstopper.

Dhamaka could well turn out to be an “enriching” experience for Kartik Aaryan. If trade sources are to be believed, the young actor, who has been lighting up the box office, has taken home Rs 20 crore for the Ram Madhvani directed thriller that required just 10 days of shooting from him.

This is by far the highest an actor of his generation has been paid and that too at a time when making films is a challenge, with the coronavirus changing the way the work is done and theatres restricting the number of audiences. Most filmmakers are being careful about the money they spend, and there is also talk of actors taking a cut but no such thing for Kartik.

There is a reason why the makers—Ronnie Screwvala and Madhvani—offered the jaw-dropping sum to Kartik. First, the 30-year-old actor has shown great consistency, with four superhits —Pati Patni aur Woh, Luka Chuppi, Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety and Pyaar Ka Punchnama 2. These films have made him popular across the country in four years. His ever growing fan-base has seen him endorse more than a dozen brands, which only add on to his popularity.

Second, Dhamaka’s shooting schedule was quite compact, which saved a lot of money from the production point of view. Typically, a mid-size budget film is completed in 40-50 days. However, Dhamaka was wrapped up in 10 days, saving a huge volume from the core on-the-set production costs.

Of course, the solid pre-production work done by Madhvani, courtesy his advertisement background, helped cut costs too.

All of this ensured that a substantial part of the film's budget went into Kartik's kitty, something those in charge of the production costs wouldn’t have minded.

After all, the only other major film that has been shot from start to finish during the pandemic is Akshay Kumar starrer Bell Bottom and that too was completed in about 30 days in Scotland.

Kartik could well be taking a leaf out of Akshay’s book. The superstar is known to charge between Rs 100 and 135 crore for a film, with a substantial making cost set for him.

Dhamaka hasn't seen a lavish outdoor shoot, as is the case with Bell Bottom, and has primarily been shot indoors and on location, with the makers reserving Renaissance hotel in Mumbai’s Powai.

Kartik is one of the few actors to risk shooting a film in the times of pandemic. Though a number of big stars announced new films, those who started shooting are Akshay, Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Ajay Devgn, John Abraham and Varun Dhawan.

Besides coming prepared for the shoot, Kartik promised quick post-production as well. As for the Rs 20 crore fee, which works out to Rs 2 crore a day, he has set the benchmark for other young stars.