As Deepika Padukone Faces Backlash For Fees Hike, Allu Arjun Takes Home 25% Of AA22xA6 Budget As Remuneration

Deepika Padukone became the center of controversies after it was reported that she has been allegedly dropped from Sandeep Reddy Vanga's Spirit and Nag Ashwin's Kalki sequel over her fees demands, among other reasons. It was said that for the Kalki sequel, Deepika demanded more remuneration from what she got for the first part that released in 2024. This was reportedly unacceptable to Vyjayanthi Movies, leading to her exit from the big-budget project. The reason cited for the same was that the Kalki franchise is VFX-heavy and would require less working days from the Piku actress.

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Amid these speculations, Deepika is already signed on to feature in Allu Arjun and director Atlee's next, tentatively titled AA22xA6. She has also begun shooting for Siddharth Anand's King. Both projects are being eyed amongst the biggest upcoming movies, in terms of both scale and anticipation.

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Now, Allu Arjun's shocking fees for the upcoming sci-fi film with Atlee has come to light. According to a report in Deccan Chronicle, the Pushpa 2 star will take home ₹175 crore as remuneration for AA22xA6. Earlier, it was also reported that Deepika, for the same project, would take home ₹20-25 crore, which many claimed was "not true" as a heroine's fees is typically much lesser. This stark difference in the lead actors' paycheck for the same project is another example of gender pay disparity in the Indian film industry.

Moreover, it is said that the Allu Arjun-Deepika Padukone film will be made on a budget of ₹700 crore, of which ₹260 crore has been allocated for VFX work. By calculation, Allu Arjun's fees for the project is a quarter of the film's budget, a whopping figure indeed.