Highlights
- Yugi Sethu claims Kamal Haasan received about £14 million for his appearance in Kalki 2898 AD
- Actor reportedly worked around 10 days, equating to roughly £1.6 million per day
- The sci-fi epic starring Prabhas, Amitabh Bachchan and Deepika Padukone ranks among the highest-grossing Telugu films
Yugi Sethu claims record fee for Kamal Haasan
Actor and filmmaker Yugi Sethu has claimed that Kamal Haasan received an extraordinary pay cheque for his role in the sci-fi blockbuster Kalki 2898 AD.
Speaking in an interview with Indiaglitz, Sethu said the veteran actor was paid about £14 million for a limited shooting schedule on the film directed by Nag Ashwin. According to him, Haasan initially had a 20-day call sheet.
Recalling a conversation with the actor, Sethu said he told him on his birthday that he was likely the highest-paid actor in India, earning around £800,000 per day based on the earlier estimate.
He added that after speaking with producer C. Aswani Dutt, he was corrected on the number of days worked. “He said Kamal sir had only given 10 days,” Sethu said, which would bring the figure to roughly £1.6 million per day.
A brief but pivotal role
In Kalki 2898 AD, Kamal Haasan appears as Supreme Yaskin, a tyrannical ruler who dominates the futuristic world known as the Complex.
Although his screen time is limited, the character plays a key role in driving the story forward. The closing moments of the film hint that Yaskin will have a much larger presence in the sequel.
The ambitious sci-fi epic also stars Prabhas, Amitabh Bachchan and Deepika Padukone, and has become one of the highest-grossing Telugu films.
Sequel and upcoming projects
Work has already begun on the sequel to Kalki 2898 AD, with Amitabh Bachchan confirming he had reunited with Kamal Haasan on set.
Writing on his blog earlier this year, Bachchan said the two actors were working together again after many years, noting that their previous collaboration had been in Giraftaar.
Meanwhile, Haasan’s upcoming slate remains busy. The actor is expected to appear alongside Rajinikanth in an upcoming film directed by Nelson Dilipkumar, following the director’s hit Jailer.
Other projects linked to the actor include collaborations involving the stunt duo Anbariv, while composer Anirudh Ravichander is attached to one of the ventures.
