Talking Money: Here’s How Much Your Favourite TV Stars Take Home

Curious about how much money your favourite TV stars make? Read on.

Shivaji Satam, Sakshi Tanwar and Kapil Sharma: Indian TV’s biggest stars and how much they make. (Photo: Promotional stills, altered by The Quint)

When it comes to pay packets, television actors work very differently from their film counterparts. Unlike film stars who get either a lump sum or rely on sharing the profits of a film’s box office collections, television pay packages work on a different criterion entirely. TV stars get paid on a per day basis, because there is no assurance of how long the show will run. Depending on the patience of the broadcaster, this per day structure has been worked out, which serves as a standard payment procedure for both actors and show producers. Apart from this, a few celebrity TV actors get paid on a different basis. Want to know more about what your favourite TV stars and show hosts take home? Read on.

The Crème De La Crème

Ram Kapoor and Sakshi Tanwar in a scene from Bade Achhe Lagte Hain (altered by The Quint)

Some TV stars, like Ram Kapoor and Ronit Roy, who have managed to survive the onslaught of new, young faces in the industry, charge a substantial amount and come at a price of around Rs 1.50 - 2 lakh a day. The female brigade of the same calibre is not far behind. Mouni Roy from the hit series Devon Ke Dev...Mahadev, also had a terrific run with her recent supernatural show Naagin topping the charts (to everyone’s surprise). She pockets around Rs 1.25 lakh per day.

Shaheer Sheikh has a huge following among the youth, so much so that Star Plus kept him on a retainer and got him to play Arjun in the new-age version of Mahabharat. For his latest show Kuch Rang Pyar Ke Aise Bhi, he billed the producers for Rs 1.20 lakh per day.

Shivaji Satam, the face of CID. (Photo courtesy: Twitter; altered by The Quint)

Shivaji Satam, better known as ACP Pradyuman of India’s longest running TV show C.I.D, takes home approximately Rs 1.40 lakh per day for his loyalty to Sony TV and his star power that has kept the show afloat for close to two decades, without any interruption.

Mona Singh Jaisi koi nahin. (Photo courtesy: Twitter; altered by The Quint)

Mona Singh has been a household name since Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin, but she hasn’t been able to repeat that success very well. She is currently seen on Kavach...Kaali Shaktiyon Se, for which she charges Rs 1.25 lakh per day.

Sakshi Tanwar in a scene from Kahaani Ghar Ghar Ki. (Photo courtesy: Twitter; altered by The Quint)

Sakshi Tanwar, who has been one of the most popular faces on India’s daily soap landscape since her Kahaani Ghar Ghar Ki days, seems to be losing out to TV’s new crop of actors, and even Bade Achche Lagte Hain is a thing of the past. She commands a hefty price of more than Rs 1 lakh per day, but hardly fits the bill of young protagonists, and is thus getting fewer shows to do.

The Biggest Star

Kapil Sharma, Indian TV’s biggest superstar. (Photo courtesy: Twitter; altered by The Quint)

There is no competition to Kapil Sharma’s brand of stardom on the small screen now. The comedian and host who made Comedy Nights With Kapil on Colors TV a household name, moved on to Sony in April with The Kapil Sharma Show. Unlike other hosts, his hefty fee also covers his creative inputs and celebrity image. Not just that, Kapil Sharma is also the co-producer of the show. So everything included, he pockets around Rs 30 - 35 lakh per episode for his stand up and celeb act.

The Current Flavours

The second category of actors, the almost non-descript ones, who become household names thanks to the popularity of their shows, start with less but gradually move on to higher pay packets. For example, a show like Jamai Raja, which had a very good run up until very recently, made its lead actors rich by paying them Rs 1 lakh per day. In such cases, producers don’t really mind paying at all because it ensures that the actors will stick on, and thus the show will stay afloat. Diya Aur Baati Hum, the Star Plus show which is now breathing its last, had a stellar long run across channels as one of the TV industry’s top shows. Last estimated, its actors Anas Rashid and Deepika Singh were being paid Rs 90,000 and Rs 75,000 per day respectively.

Divyanka Tripathi in a scene from her hit daily. (Photo courtesy: Twitter; altered by The Quint)

Divyanka Tripathi, who took social media by storm with her grand wedding, has been on great run thanks to Yeh Hai Mohabbatein, for which she takes home Rs 90,000 per day, graduated from a daily take home of Rs 70,000 since last year. Her co-star Karan Patel pockets Rs 1.10 lakh per day for the same show.

Debutants

This third category is populated by newcomers who are just beginning their journey into tinsel town. With dreamy eyes, they settle for payments as low as Rs 5,000 per day. Production houses and channels manage to maintain their upper hand here by selling them dreams of potential stardom and the newbies lap up any kind of break they can get. Debutants hardly have any negotiation power. If not a per day fee, new actors are also taken on a salary basis, that comes after completing a month.

‘Has Been’ Stars

Hiten Tejwani: Once a superstar. (Photo courtesy: Twitter; altered by The Quint)

These are the actors who had a successful run almost a decade ago as lead actors, but have now been reduced to just character roles in soaps. For example, Hiten Tejwani started out as a leading man in Kutumb years ago, but is now mostly playing supporting roles in a lot of the new shows. Recognizable faces like Tejwani do add some weight and visibility to a show, and are paid an approximate fee of Rs 50,000 per day.

Anchors

Manish Paul is a big name in the world of TV hosting. (Photo courtesy: Twitter; altered by The Quint)

Their spirited quality and impromptu voice skills are such a rare quality that very few have managed to make it big in this category. Many have failed miserably. Among the male hosts, Manish Paul is highly popular and is hosting both TV shows and live events, one after another. Most production houses would offer Rs 2 lakh per day to have him on board. In fact, TV actress Mona Singh has turned to anchoring in a big way too and charges close to Rs 1.50 lakh per day.

Television vs Film

When it comes to films, TV actors are mostly reduced to character roles and supporting cast on the big screen. Depending on the duration of their roles, they usually get paid on a per day arrangement. This range starts from Rs 30,000 and goes up to Rs 70,000, depending on the star in question. It’s quite another matter if the actor has landed the lead role with a well known banner. Depending on the actor’s desperation and the producer’s exploitation skills, offers can surprisingly range from Rs 0 (“Because it’s a big break, you fool,” they say) and go up to a a few lakhs for the whole film.