To Tie Up A SHTAR

Duds may lie under the suds, but Tamil’s puffed up filmstars demand the world in fees. Gasping distributors mull a tier system to stay in business.

- G.C. Shekhar in Chennai

THE year 2019 turned out to be as disappointing for Tamil film hero Surya as the past few years. His latest film, NGK, directed by Selvaraghavan, bombed at the box office. The underwhelming pol­itical drama was panned by critics as well. For this talented actor who had been the main draw and acting soul of hits like Kaakha Kaakha, Ghajini and Singam, NGK joined his string of flops in the last six years.“Surya’s last real hit was Singam 2, released in 2013; since then he has not come up with a winning formula in spite of changing direc­tors,” observes a leading film critic.

But the flops have not deterred Suriya (43) from compromising on one thing Tamil heroes are fiercely protective about—their salaries. The diminutive actor still quotes Rs 25 crore for a film and only producers ready to pay that enormous amount are entertained. But Suriya is not alone in unwilling to compromise on the pay cheque. Other Tamil heroes are refusing to climb down from their high perches, sending, in turn, production costs into the upper stratosphere.