Pawan Kalyan was once offered as much money as Shah Rukh Khan for adverts; here's why he rejected them

At an event for Ustaad Bhagat Singh, Harish Shankar spoke about how Pawan Kalyan turned down money at the height of stardom.

Actor Pawan Kalyan might have first tasted fame in the 90s, but his stardom grew exponentially after the release of Gabbar Singh in 2012. Directed by Harish Shankar, the film was an adaptation of Salman Khan’s 2010 hit Dabangg and was a massive success. Pawan became so famous that the director revealed he even began scoring endorsements that would pay him as much as Shah Rukh Khan. However, he turned them down for a reason.

Pawan Kalyan was offered almost as much money as Shah Rukh Khan at the height of his stardom.

When Pawan Kalyan was offered remuneration as much as Shah Rukh Khan

Harish spoke at a song launch for his and Pawan’s upcoming film Ustaad Bhagat Singh. Talking about the actor-politician, he said, “He is not the kind of person who yields to money. I know this from personal experience. After Gabbar Singh, many corporate productions approached us about movies or advertisements. There was no term called pan India yet, but Kalyan garu was offered almost as much remuneration as Shah Rukh Khan gets.”

The director also revealed that Pawan turned down these opportunities for a reason, stating, “But, he’s of the opinion some of these products he was asked to endorse aren’t healthy or good for kids. I was supposed to direct these ads, but I saw him reject ads worth crores. I am not saying anybody’s wrong for doing it, I’m just giving an example of how he is as a person.”

For the unversed, Pawan has rarely endorsed products, with his most famous ad being the 2001 Pepsi spot. He was also not part of the film promotions for Hari Hara Veera Mallu and They Call Him OG until recently. According to Forbes India, Shah Rukh earned ₹202.833 crore in 2012 and was at the top of the celebrity 100 list. The Bollywood star is also known as one of the highest-paid actors in endorsements.

Upcoming work

Pawan’s Ustaad Bhagat Singh is an adaptation of Ajith Kumar’s 2016 film Theri. The film also stars Sreeleela and Raashii Khanna. It is slated for release on March 26 and is one of the films that Pawan okayed before he became the Deputy CM of Andhra Pradesh in 2024.

He also has a pending film with Agent director Surender Reddy, which has now been revived. Cast and crew details for the yet-to-be-titled PSPK32 have not been announced. The film is expected to hit screens only in 2027.

Pawan has yet to announce any other upcoming films. However, he has stated numerous times since becoming the Deputy CM that he plans to juggle politics with acting, describing the latter as his source of income.