Pre-sales has covered majority of the investment
Bollywood is buzzing with the news of how producer Firoz Nadiadwala’s comic-adventure, Welcome to the Jungle, with an ensemble, headlined by A-lister, Akshay Kumar, scheduled for release later this month, has already recovered the majority of its investment. The ancillary sale of OTT, audio, satellite rights has already made the project safe.
A trade source informs, “As of now, the makers are rumoured to have finalised a deal of around 120 crores from OTT, audio, satellite, etc. They will therefore have to recover a lot less from theatrical income. Welcome is a big franchise. The earlier two films, Welcome (2007) and Welcome Back (2015) have great recall. So, the third part of the franchise is also carrying buzz. Since the secondary rights have already yielded safe numbers, the makers can breathe easy for now.”
One hears that in a bid to make this project viable Akshay, leading by example, has reportedly charged just 1.8 crore as his remuneration. But of course, he’s fully aware of his box-office potential and has inserted a rider in his contract for Welcome to the Jungle. After the film’s release, when all the monies come in, the superstar is allegedly expected to get 72 per cent on the IPR, while the producer will get 28 per cent. Despite all of this the industry is praising AK because in these turbulent times, he’s willing to complete an entire film without charging his full fees. By the way, besides the three Khans-Shah Rukh, Salman and Aamir, Akshay is one of the highest paid actors in Hindi cinema.
Akshay’s decision to wait patiently for the revenues before he claims his percentage is being lauded by those, who feel at least he is giving his producers a chance to “breathe easy.”
3-4 films a year is how AK helps the Bollywood economy
Akshay Kumar has been a constant A-lister in Hindi cinema for around 20 years. The years haven’t sapped his energy or taken away from his self-belief and hard work. The only Bollywood superstar to have a minimum of three and a maximum of four films a year, he has kept the B-Town economy churning “single-handedly sometimes”. He’s had his share of hits, flops and indifferent films but there has always been a regular line of producers outside his office-door in Juhu, Mumbai.
Recently, trade analyst Taran Adarsh, praised Akshay’s high-energy performance in the comic-horror film, Bhooth Bangla directed by Priyadarshan. This film has netted around 165 crore, according to the trade portal, Bollywood Hungama, and the film is a Bonafide hit. Even his strongest sceptics admit that AK alone shouldered the film from its conception to the release.
Actor, Tusshar Kapoor who’s working with AK in the upcoming Welcome to the Jungle, praised his sister, Ekta Kapoor and Akshay who co-produced Bhooth Bangla. Said he, “Akshay, still has an unmatchable energy about him. This is an enviable quality in an actor. I am happy for Ekta and him. Their belief and hard-work paid off. Even my mother, Shobha Kapoor, who is also a producer with Ekta and AK is very happy.”
