You shake a leg, they make the lakhs

Survey across Bollywood reveals how stars on stage will be minting it on New Year’s eve. Read on to know more.

New Year is just around the corner and this year seems to be bigger than ever for Bollywood. The lineup of stars that usually performs all over the country extends itself to the Gulf this year. Says Mohomed Morani of Cineyug, the company that organises Bollywood shows across the world: “New Year is huge in India. It’s all about saleability. Malaika Arora Khan, who has just given the hit Munni badnam hui, could be as big as any major star this year. It’s been three months since Dabanng became a hit and the song is still fresh.

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Recession is over and income levels are rising too. As far as the stars and their payments are concerned, money is not the criteria. Actual figures for such performances will rarely be revealed. “Mallika is priceless, yeh sab chichori baatien hai (it’s all small talk). I don’t perform for money,” proclaimed actor Mallika Sherawat at a recent event when asked about her performance fee. According to a source connected with the payments and negotiations for most stars performing on December 31, Mallika is being paid a cool Rs. 1 crore for her performance at Sahara Star.

Country Club, which has properties all over India and the Gulf, is also a major player. Govinda tops the list with a Rs. 40 lakh fee for one performance at their Mumbai venue. Next comes Vivek Oberoi, who will shake a leg in Dubai for Rs. 40 lakh. Other stars include Celina Jaitly, who will be seen in Delhi for Rs. 15 lakh, Sophie Chaudhary in Bangalore for Rs. 15 lakh, Mahima Chaudhary in Ahemdabad for Rs. 8 lakh, Priyanka Kothari in Hyderabad for Rs. 5 lakh and Shefali Zariwala in Pune for Rs. 5 lakh.

Says Rajiv Reddy of Country Club, “I don’t know how much these stars are charging. My people do the negotiations. But the rates are on the higher side for this New Year.”

Yana Gupta, who was in the news recently for her wardrobe malfunction, seems to have benefited from it. Our source informs that Gupta is being offered Rs. 1 crore for her moves. “I am performing for December 31, but I don’t know where yet,” says Yana, refusing to reveal the venue. “My representatives have been speaking to organisers, they will select a venue out the two under consideration.”

Another major event, which will be telecast on December 31, is the Big Entertainer Of The Year Awards. Actors who are part of this performance don’t have to work on New Year eve, as the show is not live. According to our source, star attraction, Akshay Kumar has cut down his Rs. 3 crore fee to Rs. 2.25 crore for a performance at these awards.

Boxer Vijender Singh and Mallika Sherawat will also do an act together. They take home Rs. 5 and Rs. 40 lakh, respectively, per show. Priyanka Chopra has been paid Rs. 45 lakh and Rani Mukherji, Rs. 40 lakh. The show also has a lineup of anchors charging hefty amounts. Our source reveals that Arshad Warsi is charging Rs. 20 lakh and Shreyas Talpade, Kunal Khemmu and Tusshar Kapoor will be paid Rs. 10 lakh each.

Then there are musicians who also vie for the big bucks. Daler Mehndi will sing for Rs. 37 lakh, Mika for Rs. 27 lakh, Rahul Vaidya for Rs.10 lakh, Akruti Kakkar for Rs. 7 lakh, Shibani Kashyap for Rs. 10 lakh and Neeraj Sridhar for Rs. 16 lakh.

But Malaika Arora Khan tops them all. The Munni badnam hui star has charged Rs. 3 crore for two back-to-back performances at Aamby Valley on New Year’s Eve. Says our source, “The deal finalised by Malaika with the Sahara group states that she will make a grand entry at the venue along with husband Arbaaz Khan and brothers-in-law Salman and Sohail Khan.”

Bipasha Basu, usually a regular at events around this time of the year, is not in the league. Her negotiations with the JW Marriott, Juhu, broke down because she demanded Rs. 1.5 crore.