This Indian Actress Makes More Money For A Film Than Her Contemporaries

There was a time when heroines used to get paid less compared to actors. Sridevi became the first actress who brought a change. She received a pay more than her co-actor. Even today, many actresses speak up about this issue. They say that filmmakers still prioritise paying the actor more. But, today, we are talking about an actress who broke all the barriers to claiming the title of highest-paid Bollywood actress.

Undoubtedly, Deepika Padukone and Alia Bhatt have carved a niche in Bollywood. Still, they’re not the highest-paid actresses. That spot belongs to Priyanka Chopra. Forbes says she earns up to Rs 40 crore for a project, thanks to her Hollywood gigs, which equals $5 million. She reportedly earned this for her Amazon Prime Video show Citadel. In India, Forbes says she charges between Rs 14-20 crore for a movie.

Before the mid-2010s, Priyanka Chopra was one of the top actresses in India. She had big hits like Mary Kom, Bajirao Mastani, and Dil Dhadakne Do. But when she shifted to Hollywood, her success dwindled. Her first major Hollywood movie, Baywatch, did well in 2017, but since then, her films like A Kid Like Jake, Isn’t It Romantic, We Can Be Heroes, The Matrix Resurrections, and Love Again haven’t done well at the box office.

However, she earned praise for her roles in The Sky Is Pink (her only Hindi movie since 2016) and The White Tiger (a Netflix film). She also starred in Citadel, a show with mixed reviews but high viewership. Despite a massive budget of $250 million (almost Rs 2000 crore), the show failed to resonate with the audience.

After Priyanka Chopra, Deepika Padukone is the next highest-paid Indian actress, earning around Rs 15-30 crore for each project. Following her are Kangana Ranaut and Katrina Kaif, both charging up to Rs 25 crore per movie. Actresses like Alia Bhatt, Kareena Kapoor, Anushka Sharma, and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan charge between Rs 10-20 crore.

On the work front, Priyanka Chopra is gearing up for a few releases like The Bluff, Heads of State, Sheela, Ending Things and Cowboy Ninja Viking. She made her Bollywood film debut with The Hero: Love Story of a Spy in 2003.