Rs 35 crore

When was the last time you heard of what a director got paid? In an industry that shrouds its directors' salaries in secret, Sanjay Leela Bhansali's rumoured Rs 35 crore (for his Hrithik Roshan-Aishwarya Rai starrer Guzaarish) came as a shocker. We examine the complex pay equation Bollywood directors have worked out for themselves

LAST week, a director's fee made big news Sanjay Leela Bhansali is reportedly being paid Rs 35 crore for his film with UTV, titled Guzaarish. With a formidable reputation and having signed on the dream couple Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai, Bhansali does warrant a huge fee, but the industry is abuzz at the Rs 35 crore figure. This in an era of innumerable media stories on how much a star is being paid or what fat amount a film is sold for.

Is Bhansali then the highest-paid director in Bollywood? Not by a long shot. Many directors who also produce their own films and sign their own cheques make more. They pocket the profits as well as their director's fee.
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So those like Aditya Chopra, Rakesh Roshan, Karan Johar and Farhan Akhtar are bigger guys and would be worth much more if they were on the market, to direct films for other producers.

Aditya Chopra is said to top the list his Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi apparently earned him Rs 50 crore in profits alone the industry also counts this as his director's fee. If the lists of producer-directors and independent directors were mixed up, Bhansali probably comes in fifth or sixth.

Bollywood makes its grades by its old barometer: box office success. You're worth as much money as you can spin, which means that these directors are not necessarily rated on how talented or brilliant they are, but how much of an audience they can nab and what those numbers are. Since we're a star-driven industry, this also means, as one director puts it, "Your salary is directly proportionate to the superstar or stars you can sign on for your film." But of course, no one will talk about what that salary actually is.

One, the directors themselves keep their pay packets close to their chests. Two, ambiguity means that their loyalists can bloat figures to make the directors feel important. Three, the production houses calculate that any talk of fees will narrow down their budget and thus hamper the chances of selling their film at the highest possible price. It doesn't work the way it does for actors, who actively circulate rumours of their fees so it can help them land even sweeter deals.u00a0

It's difficult then to trawl out accurate figures for directors' salaries, especially with few going on record. Producer-director fees are nebulous because there is no accounting for how much of the production money the director may pocket. And independent director fees are dictated by what they are worth on the market Bhansali obviously tops this bracket, with Anees Bazmi, Abbas-Mustan and David Dhawan coming up behind.u00a0

Rajkumar Hirani and Farah Khan would be the most sought-after directors if they stepped out from the Vinod Chopra Films and Red Chillies banners. But Farah is believed to be content directing for Shah Rukh Khan he's said to pay her decent, but enhances that with gifts and bonuses that he showers on her (and other staff) when the film becomes a monster hit. Raju has reportedly worked out a good package for 3 Idiots. With the film said to be sold for over Rs 90 crore, producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra has split a share of the profits after allowing for the film's budget, with Raju. Another director with commercial promise is Anurag Basu, worth about Rs 8 crore in the market.

Fees, like friendships, are fickle in the industry. They fluctuate madly. Three flops and the director is going to find it hard to nab a producer. Deliver a hit and your stock immediately shoots up. "There are some producer-directors, considered big shots in the industry, who would be worth nothing much if they were to go on the market because they haven't delivered a hit in years," says one source succinctly.

Ratings and figures are then largely speculative looks like Bollywood directors are as secretive about their salaries as they are about the plots of their films.

(All given figures are based on industry buzz and backed by production houses of repute)

Producer-directors ranked by worth
1. Aditya Chopra
2. Rakesh Roshan
3. Karan Johar
4. Farhan Akhtar
5. Ashutosh Gowariker
6. Mani Ratnam
7. Vipul Shah
8. Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra
9. Madhur Bhandarkar

Highest-paid independent directors
Sanjay Leela Bhansali: Rs 35 crore
Anees Bazmi: Rs 15 crore
Abbas-Mustan/Vishal Bhardwaj/David Dhawan: Rs 10 crore
Priyadarshan: Rs 9 crore
Imtiaz Ali (Pre Love Aaj Kal): Rs 8 crore
Siddharth Anand: Rs 7 crore
Kunal Kohli: Rs 7 crore
Anurag Kashyap (post Dev D)/Sajid Khan /Sanjay Gadhvi/Prakash Jha: Rs 5 crore

Directors with commercial promise
Rajkumar Hirani, Farah Khan, Anurag Basu

Actor fees
Rs 50 crore, or close to it, is what Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan and Hrithik Roshan are said to be worth if they were to come on the market. But as they work under their own banners, judiciously pick their films in outside banners and do only one-two films a year, they aren't on the market to all producers. Akshay Kumar and Salman Khan are and do a fair number of films a year. Akshay's price, despite the figures bandied about, is said to be in the region of Rs 25 crore.u00a0u00a0u00a0

Actress fees
Aishwarya Rai: Rs 4 crore
Kareena Kapoor: Rs 3 crore
Katrina Kaif: Rs 2.5 crore
Priyanka Chopra: Rs 2.5 crore
Deepika Padukone: Rs 1.5 crore

How Yashraj works
There's a price to be paid for those stylishly-mounted films, glossy look and starry cast. Yashraj makes sure all its directors sign the three-film deal: Rs 15 lakh for first film, Rs 20 lakh for second, Rs 25 lakh for third + percentage of the profits of the Mumbai territory.

Directors currently in the YRF fold:
Shimit Amin
Kabir Khan
Anurag Singh
Jugal Hansraj
Parmeet Sethi

In the past: Siddharth Anand was said to have reworked his terms after having landed a hit with Salaam Namaste and Pradeep Sarkar did a production deal with Aditya Chopra for Laaga Chunari Mein Daag where YRF financed the film. Kunal Kohli was paid as per YRF's terms for his three-film deal, but co-produced his fourth, Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic, which was financed by Yashraj.u00a0

The best paymaster
Dharma: Of the production houses, Dharma Films is said to be the best paymasters, though Karan Johar's production house has just begun expanding its director portfolio. For its three-film deal, it's said to offer first-time directors Rs 50 lakh, then Rs 75 lakh for the second and Rs 1 crore for their third film.u00a0

The curse of the third
Three flops are what a director is allowed before he's off the market, according to insiders. "If the last three films were debacles or if the financiers lost close to Rs 20-25 crore on their last two films, it gets difficult for a director to raise money for his film," points out a source. Directors whose stocks have somewhat fallen are Nagesh Kukunoor, Nikhil Advani, Ram Gopal Varma (despite Phoonk being a hit), Subhash Ghai and J P Dutta.

Rajkumar Santoshi, a fine director, has to now prove himself commercially with the Ranbir Kapoor-Katrina Kaif romcom Ajab Prem Ki Gajab Kahani. Kunal Kohli and Sanjay Gadhvi have to watch their step with their next to stay in the game.