Baahubali 2: Prabhas wasn’t the highest-paid artiste in the film. Surprised, are you?

You will be surprised to know that in SS Rajamouli’s Baahubali franchise (Baahubali: The Beginning and Baahubali 2: The Conclusion), Prabhas wasn’t the highest-paid artiste. It was SS Rajamouli.

SS Rajamouli’s Baahubali 2: The Conclusion has created history in more ways than one—the most staggering being the breaching of the Rs 1000-crore mark. There has been a lot of chatter about the film, one of them being about its lead actor Prabhas rejecting a Rs 18-crore brand endorsement deal. There has also been some talk about him being the highest paid among the cast and crew of the Baahubali franchise.

Baahubali 2: The Conclusion released on April 28.

However, it has come to light that Prabhas did not get the highest remuneration. It was director SS Rajamouli. This is in stark contrast to Bollywood, where the male lead and its principal star romps home with a bulk of the remuneration paid to all artistes.

It has been reported earlier that the second part of the film was made at an estimated budget of Rs 250 crore, the first having been made at an estimated sum of Rs 180 crore.

According to a Times Now report, SS Rajamouli walked away with the biggest pay package which stood at Rs 28 crore. Here’s what the other actors got.

Prabhas

Baahubali franchise stars Prabhas playing the main leads, Amarendra and Mahendra Baahubali, respectively.

Prabhas, the man who has captured the collective imagination of the nation, was paid Rs 25 crore. He was the highest paid among the cast of Baahubali. The five-year wait and worldwide exposure have only been the icing on the cake.

Rana Daggubati

Rana, seen here as the main antagonist, Bhallaladeva.

The Ghazi actor, who came in for much praise for his role as Bhallaladheva in the films, was paid Rs 15 crore for his devilish act.

Anushka Shetty & Tamannaah Bhatia

Devasena in a Baahubali 2: The Conclusion poster.

The two female leads, Anushka Shetty, who played Devasena, and Tamannaah Bhatia, who played Avanthika, took home a cheque of Rs 5 crore each.

Tamannaah as Avanthika in Baahubali: The Beginning.

Ramya Krishnan and Sathyaraj

Ramya Krishnan gets a lot of screen time in Baahubali 2: The Conclusion.

Despite appearing in strong supporting roles as Sivagami and Kattappa, Ramya Krishnan and Sathyaraj have been talked about for the twists and turns their characters took. In monetary terms though, their remuneration was much less compared to other star cast. Ramya was given Rs 2.5 crore while Sathyaraj took home Rs 2 crore.

Baahubali 2 finally answered why Kattappa killed Amarendra Baahubali.

SS Rajamouli

SS Rajamouli has made blockbusters such as Magadheera and Eega in the past. (Twitter)

However, the lion’s share of remuneration went to the maverick director SS Rajamouli, who picked up a cool Rs 28 crore for his labour of love. Apart from this, he will also gets one third of the profits of the franchise.

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