Is ₹30 Crore Justified? Priyanka Chopra’s ‘Worth’ Questioned By Netizens As She Prepares For Comeback With SSMB29

Priyanka Chopra has been cast as the female lead opposite Mahesh Babu in the jungle adventure film SSMB29. The movie is directed by SS Rajamouli, and as per reports, the Fashion actress will take home Rs 30 crore as remuneration for the role. This makes her the highest-paid actress in India ever. Though the reports are not confirmed yet, this amount does not sit well with social media users.

A source close to the development of the SS Rajamouli film mentioned that the announcement of Priyanka Chopra being on board for the movie was delayed because of the hefty fees she was charging. The insider in the know argued that the Desi Girl was not ready to budge on her compensation which led to lengthy negotiations. The source informed Bollywood Hungama, “This is why they took so long to announce her participation in the project. She was not willing to budge over her fee, and why should she? Why should only the men actors get double-digit salaries in our films?”

However, social media users have argued that Priyanka Chopra’s last notable performance was in Bajirao Mastani which was released in 2015 and was an ensemble film. She then featured in Bollywood films Jai Gangaajal (2016) and The Sky Is Pink (2019), both of which were underperformers at the box office. Given that the actress has been away from Indian cinema since 2019 and has not starred in anything notable, the Rs 30 crore demand seems unfathomable and extraorbiant to most. This also comes amid the actress’ advocacy of fair pay and pay parity.

While a section of the society was upset with Priyanka Chopra’s demand, others disagreed. Most netizens shared that the Fashion actress is a bankable star and has proved her mettle time and again. Social media users shared that the amount demanded by the actress is not much when compared to the budget of the film, which is reported to be close to Rs 1000 crore. Some have even compared her fees with Mahesh Babu, who is said to not charge any salary for the film, but has come on board as the co-producer.

Fans of Priyanka Chopra believe her being in the film will catapult its appeal from a pan-Indian project to an international film. It is argued that with Priyanka’s reputation in Hollywood, the movie is expected to have a significant pull in the English-speaking belts as well.