Recent news said that Telugu actress Sreeleela charges Rs 7 crore per film, but many top producers say this is not true.
A person from the industry said no Telugu actress earns that much. Most of them charge between Rs 3 to 5 crore.
Even famous actresses like Rashmika Mandanna and Tamannaah have not reached the Rs 7 crore mark. Rashmika might get close to Rs 5 crore because she is popular across India.
"Whatever the bloated figures surface about South Indian actresses are not true, but just PR driven", says an insider.
When compared to Bollywood, Telugu actresses earn less. Bollywood stars like Priyanka Chopra reportedly got Rs 30 crore for a film, and Deepika Padukone earned Rs 20 crore for her role in Kalki 2898 AD.
Producers say this big difference in pay is due to Bollywood actresses having more brand value, global reach, and large social media followings.
Even though South Indian films are getting more attention now, the actresses there are still paid much less than those in Bollywood.
Industry experts believe that it may take time for this gap to close, even as South cinema becomes more popular across the country.
