Akshay Kumar is new Bollywood King

FILMS: Bollywood insiders say he can now charge up to Rs 50 crore for a film

Singh is Kinng, the simple story of a bumbling Sikh who travels from his village in Punjab to Australia to get back a wayward son of the soil who has brought dishonor to the village, is all set to become the top grosser of all times. The film recorded a whopping 95 per cent opening in its first weekend.

More important, it has re-written the rules of the Indian movie business. For the first time, the lead character of a film is a Sikh, if one were to exclude the Sunny Deol-starrer rabble-rouser Gadar. And it is now agreed in the film industry that nobody else but Akshay Kumar could have done justice with the role of Happy Singh.

Kumar, it now seems, was sure of the film’s success right from the word go. His company, Hari Om Productions, is a 33 per cent producer of the film. According to film trade analyst Komal Nahta, Singh is Kinng grossed Rs 25 crore in its first weekend itself. That made Kumar richer by a cool Rs 8.33 crore.

More money is certain to come. The film continues to do extremely well in India as well as abroad. There have been reports that in Pakistan, theatres have overbooked and people are watching the film squatting on the aisle.

Partially because he co-produced the film and partly because he and Singh in Kinng’s producer, Vipul Shah, go back a long time, Kumar did not charge his full fees of Rs 30 crore and took only Rs 12 crore. “Because Akshay and I have worked together, and given hits in the past, he didn’t quote his market price for Singh is Kinng,” says Shah.

But it could prove to be the wisest decision Kumar ever made. “Any producer will pay him Rs 50-60 crore now,” says Nahta. For the record, this used to be the budget of a large scale film till not so long ago. Trade pundits say only Shah Rukh Khan can command this kind of money from producers.

What makes Kumar click? Unlike most other stars, Kumar has a massive fan following in not just metros but also smaller towns and cities. “He is a very good looking hero who entered the industry as an action hero at a time when audiences really looked up to that genre,” explains Nahta.

Born as Rajiv Bhatia into a middle class household at Amritsar and raised in the cramped Chandni Chowk neighborhood in Delhi, Kumar learnt martial arts in Thailand and worked as a cook in Bangkok. His next stop was Bollywood.

Kumar struggled in his initial years (he entered the industry in the early 1990s), despite giving hits like Khiladi, Mohra and Main Khiladi Tu Anari. His real success story began in 2000 when he moved to the comedy genre with Hera Pheri. After that, there was no looking back.

“Kumar’s is not a fresh face in the industry but with each film he’s willing to experiment, and that’s what gives him the edge,” reasons Sandeep Bhargav, the chief executive of Indian Films which has co-produced Kumar’s films in the past including Namaste London and now Singh is Kinng.

Bhargav makes a point: “He’s an actor who was game to don a turban in his new film. How many leading names in Indian cinema can actually do that?” Shah interjects: “He carried off a pink kurta in Namaste London, it wasn’t easy but he did it. He’s extraordinarily professional and a no-nonsense guy.”

Around the time Singh is Kinng was making waves at the Box Office, Kumar television tryst too paid off. Charging Rs 1.5 crore per episode, Kumar’s debut as an anchor on Colors’ Khatron Ke Khiladi has fared well with peak ratings of 2.3. The show gave the brand new channel the visibility and excitement it was looking for. So much so, some critics feel it will face a tough challenge to find a replacement for the show. Then there are brand endorsements. After Thums Up and Microsoft X Box, rumours are rife that a large multinational company is in talks with the actor.

“Kumar, despite being a top-rung actor in films, has remained (like Hrithik Roshan) in the second rung as far as endorsements go, says Harish Bijoor, brand specialist & CEO, Harish Bijoor Consultants, adding: “But now, with his films succeeding constantly, he’ll now break the glass ceiling to be the fourth biggest star along with the top three – Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan.”

While he charged Rs 1.5 crore for his earlier endorsements, Kumar, says Bijoor, will command Rs 5-6 crore, per endorsement. In Bijoor’s view, Kumar’s foray into television has been an intelligent move. “While he was just a film star earlier, television ensured the entry of this macho man into the living rooms of thousands of audiences.” Clearly, for now, Kumar’s the king.