India's highest-paid writer in films makes a whopping Rs 5 crore per film, and it is not Gulzar, Javed Akhtar, Prasoon Joshi, or Manoj Muntashir.
It has been often said post-pandemic that what determines a film’s success is its story and content. The adage ‘content is king’ has come back to Bollywood amid a spate of unsuccessful films. And this also means that writers have begun to demand a greater share and higher remunerations for their work. This has led to many writers raking in huge money for their stories and scripts. In fact, the highest-paid writer in Indian cinema makes more than many actors for each film.
India’s highest-paid film writer is...
V Vijayendra Prasad, veteran screenwriter and father of filmmaker SS Rajamouli, is the highest-paid writer in Indian cinema. As per reports, Prasad charges Rs 5 crore per film post the success of his recent endeavours. The 81-year-old is best known for writing all-time blockbusters like Baahubali, RRR, Magadheera (all directed by his son), as well as several successful Bollywoo films like Bajrangi Bhaijaan and Manikarnika.
V Vijayendra Prasad’s movies and successes
Born in 1942, V Vijayendra Prasad began his career as an assistant director in Telugu cinema in the 70s. He had his first success as a writer with the 1988 hit Janaki Ramudu. In the 1990s, he mixed success with critical acclaim as he won the National Film Award for Bangaru Kutumbam, and followed it up with two blockbusters - Bobbili Simham and Samarsimha Reddy. In 1996, he ventured into direction with Ardhangi but has only made three films since, focussing on writing.
After his son Rajamouli ventured into filmmaking, Prasad collaborated with him on several hits, including Magadheera, Eega, and the mega successful Baahubali series and RRR. He has also written several Bollywood hits, such as Rowdy Rathore, Bajrangi Bhaijaan, and Manikarnika.
India’s highest-paid film writers
Before Vijayendra Prasad hiked his fees following the success of Baahubali, the highest-paid film writer in India was Abhijat Joshi, who reportedly charged Rs 3 crore per film after the success of 3 Idiots. He has successful films like Sanju under his belt. Among the other high-paid writers in Bollywood is Kanika Dhillon, who often gets top billing in posters. Veteran writers like Javed Akhtar continue to hold sway as well. The Salim-Javed combo was the first writer team to command a respectable fees in Indian cinema, five decades ago.
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 "India's highest paid film writer charges Rs 5 crore per film")
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