They might be child actors but their pay packet is no less than a star.
With their popularity soaring on the big and small screen, the pay-packet for the child actors are getting fatter by the day
m_ranjib@dnaindia.net
They might be child actors but their pay packet is no less than a star. We are talking about child protégés on the big and small screen alike who’s asking rates seem to have spiralled the same way they have become popular.
After Darsheel Safary, who’s undoubtedly the most popular child actor, Avika Gor (who plays Anandi in Balika Badhu) is also steadily climbing up the popularity charts.
Says an insider, “When Taare Zameen Par became a superhit, this little kid became the talk of the town. So we thought of inviting Darsheel for an inauguration. Darsheel’s parents quoted Rs 75,000 for his presence. We eventually settled for another TV actor who charged us Rs 50,000.”
A few months back, Zee Cinema made Darsheel the brand ambassador for a month-long kid’s film festival. “Darsheel charged approximately Rs 5 lakh for it. When the channel requested Darsheel for media interviews, his parents declined saying that it was not a part of the contract. They wanted more money for that,” the insider adds.
However, Avika Gor who has given the saas-bahu sagas a run for their money, is charging even more money than Darsheel for public appearances.
“Unlike Darsheel, she has more work pressures in terms of shooting. So, taking time out for public appearances is a tough task as she has to take permission from the production house as well as the channel. So, she charges the highest money at the moment. Recently, she walked the ramp for a fashion show, for which she has charged Rs 1.5 lakh. However, when it comes to inaugurations, she is quoting something around Rs 2.5 lakh,” says a source.
Child actors like Swini Khare (Sexy of Cheeni Kum) and Ehsaas Channa (lead actor of Phoonk) are also in great demand. Even a relatively lesser known child actor like Gaurav Bajaj (Eeshaan of Saat Phere) has reportedly asked the production house to hike his remuneration.
“He (Gaurav) started with Rs 4,000 per day. Later, it was raised to Rs 7,000. But, the parents threatened to take their kid away from the show and the amount was raised to Rs 10,000. When the parents know that their kid has become popular, they throw their weight around to hike the fee,” the source adds.
With ‘kid shows’ becoming popular by the day, it’s raining money for the child actors. For example, in Zee’s Chota Packet Bada Dhamaka, the kids will get Rs 25 lakh scholarship besides their daily wages. In fact, parents are now ready to let even their newborns ‘act’ for daily soaps.
“New born babies get Rs 750 (after deducting the coordinator’s fee) every day. Even the amateur kid actors get Rs 1,000 when they start off in the industry,” the source says.
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