Will Aamir Khan edge past Shah Rukh Khan?

Buzz is that actor Aamir Khan is slated to become the highest paid actor in Bollywood overtaking actor Shah Rukh Khan by almost Rs30 crore in the process. According to sources, the actor in his latest film has entered into such a profit-sharing agreement with filmmaker Aditya Chopra that he’ll overtake all the Khans by a clean margin.

“Since this is a film Aamir won’t be producing, he has asked for a profit-sharing agreement with Chopra, which will be over and above his usual acting fee (of around Rs5 crore, according to sources). So, even if the next sequel of Dhoom’s box office returns reaches anywhere close to the popularity of the last prequel, Aamir will be able to take home an amount that no Khan has taken home till date,” says a source.

According to trade figures, Dhoom 2 had made a gross business of Rs134 crore in India and over Rs 100 crore profit in India and about the same amount from the overseas market. So, going by the figures (as of 2006), Aamir’s total fee crosses Rs70 crore by the most conservative estimate. But going by the present market dynamics, Aamir’s figures are expected to cross the jaw-dropping magic mark — Rs100 crore!

“Nobody knows how the film will finally fare, but yes, even if it becomes half as popular as the other two Dhooms, Aamir will take home around 100 crore, which is by far the biggest amount in terms of an actor’s fee so far,” the source adds.

It is pertinent to add that most actors being part-producers get the negative and satellite rights of the film. But in this case, since it is Chopra’s production, those rights rest with him and Aamir will be paid an acting fee. Sources say that the profit sharing arrangement is part of the fee.

When contacted, Chopra’s office neither confirmed nor denied the news. “At Yashraj, we don’t discuss artists’ contracts and agreements. So we will not be able to shed any light on this,” says a spokesperson from Chopra’s studio.