BELIEVE it or not, India’s number one star, Shah Rukh Khan, makes more money from television than from films. He reportedly earned Rs 75 crores (RM57mil) last year from endorsements of various products and services in television ads.
This was more than what he made in fees as a Bollywood hero. From endorsing cellular phones to cellular phone service providers, King Khan can be seen marketing cars and cola drinks. And in between those ads, he appears on the small screen anchoring a much-hyped show for which he is paid a humungous amount.
The actor who began his career on the small screen back in the mid-80s and successfully graduated to Bollywood to become a household name is now seen more in television commercials than on the big screen.
The advent of satellite television and the almost parallel spurt in economic growth has opened new opportunities for India’s film industry. Both English and Hindi-language channels as also a slew of regional language channels aggressively compete for a share in the annual Rs9,000-crore (RM7bil) advertising pie. And in popular movie stars, advertisers have found the best way to market their products.
For several decades a well-known Anglo-Dutch multi-national company advertised its popular brand of bathing soap by using the reigning Bollywood heroine as its brand ambassador in print ads.
Over the years the choice of heroines would change with the change in professional fortunes of individual actresses but the tag line of the soap in all advertisements remained constant.
Which was: ’Film stars’ favourite bathing soap.’ The same company now relies on the same formula but not as much in print as in television commercials.
Now, if the makers of soaps and automobiles could hire famous stars to sell their wares it was only natural that the fiercely competitive television entertainment industry would grab iconic Bollywood stars to anchor its programmes.
After all, in the fight for nation’s eyeballs there could be no better way than to hire the services of a widely known face as your mascot to sell a television programme.
That would explain why more and more film stars are now appearing on the small screen in pivotal roles. It earns them big bucks up front free from the vagaries of the box-office. Besides, it further enhances their popular appeal, especially if the programme succeeds in attracting television audiences.
For sure, the first to make a successful transition to television was the tallest-ever Bollywood star, Amitabh Bachchan. The ageing actor saw his career revived after his television show, Kaun Banega Crorepati, became a super-duper hit.
Bachchan reportedly charged Rs50-odd lakhs (RM379,233) per episode. And the channel that produced the show made more money selling commercial time on the show to classy advertisers.
After Bachchan pulled out of the KBC due to an illness, Shah Rukh Khan stepped in as the host of the show. He brought his own typical energy and pizzazz to the show and raked in big bucks for his weekly appearance.
Now, SRK, as the numero uno Bollywood star is called, is hosting a much-hyped show, Kya Aap Paanchvi Pass Se Tez Hain?, based on the popular American TV show, “Are you smarter than a fifth grader?” Khan has reportedly been paid Rs36 crores (RM27mil) for 30-odd episodes.
The channel had conceived Shah Rukh Khan-hosted show to compete for the nation’s eyeballs during the telecast of the on-going Twenty:20 IPL cricket matches at prime time by a rival television channel.
Ironically, SRK’s television show has attracted lower audiences than the nightly IPL matches, though he can console himself that he too owns an IPL team in Kolkata Knight Riders.
Another big name doing a television show for big bucks is yet another Bollywood Khan. Salman can be seen in a promo during the telecast of IPL matches advertising his coming television game show, Dus Ka Dum, a quiz show with a top prize of Rs10 crores (RM7mil) for the winner. Salman stands to earn a cool Rs24 crore (RM18mil) for the 30-episode television show.
For someone who makes three to four films per year, charging up to Rs six crores (RM4mil) per film, hosting a television show makes immense business sense. Invariably, completing a film takes up to a year or more with shootings conducted in studios in Mumbai or on outdoor location anywhere in the country or abroad.
On the other hand, canning each television episode is a matter of a couple of hours in a prefixed studio in Mumbai.
Yet another super-duper hero, Akshay Kumar, is all set to host Fear Factor Khatron Ke Khiladi on a soon-to-be-launched television channel named Colors.
The 16-episode show will see Akshay test the mental and physical strength of celebrity guests who are mostly B-grade Bollywood starlets.
Meanwhile, action hero Ajay Devgan and his actor wife Kajol are appearing nightly on a television channel judging a popular singing contest called Rock and Roll Family.
For the 26 one-hour episodes the husband and wife team would together pocket a cool Rs10 crores (RM7mil), a tidy sum considering that it involves much less effort and exertion working in a film which pays him about Rs5 crores (RM3mil) and her Rs2-3 crores (RM1mil - RM2mil) per film.
Given the large number of television channels, there are other lesser-known Bollywood actors regularly doing shows on various channels.
Why, even ‘the-saas-bahu’ serial dramas are dominated by various failed or retired Bollywood actors. Which only goes to prove that television in India is now fast becoming an extension of its film industry.
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