India's first actor who waived 'star fee'; Not Amitabh, Rajinikanth, Kamal or Aamir

Higher 'star fees' and entourage costs of major stars have emerged as a major concern for Bollywood filmmakers. Lately, several filmmakers have opened up about the same. Amid this, recently, Aamir Khan revealed that he has been waiving his remuneration as an actor for the last 20 years. Even big stars like Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan along with several others have been doing the same. Instead of charging large upfront fees, they opt for the profit-sharing model. But, do you know India's first actor who stopped taking 'star fee'? No, it's not Amitabh Bachchan, Rajinikanth or Kamal Hassan.

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India's First Actor to Have Waived 'Star Fee'

Higher 'star fee' and entourage costs have been breaking the back of producers. While some Hindi films have performed well at the box office, several flicks have bombed. Many producers are not even able to collect the expenses done in production of the film. To address such issues, several A-listers in Bollywood turn producer for their own movie and they take a share in the film's business and profit.

However, this approach was first implemented in the Hindi film industry by India's first superstar Rajesh Khanna. Before anyone in Bollywood, superstar Rajesh Khanna thought of this idea first.

Kaka Earned 10 Times More Than His Acting Fee!

Rajesh Khanna's success story and his journey to stardom is a fascinating tale. Kaka enjoyed his superstardom for around a decade. His impressive streak of 17 consecutive hits made him undisputed. While 1958's Amar Deep became a crucial turning point in his career, Aradhana was his first blockbuster.

After multiple blockbusters, Kaka was on cloud nine and the producers 'raked in the moolah'. However, in 1971, Rajesh Khanna decided to waive his 'star fee'. Instead, he secured the distribution rights for Anand under his company 'Shaktiraj Films'. Well, this proved to be a profitable decision for Kaka as he ended up earning ten times more than his acting fees after the massive success of Anand. All thanks to his superstardom.

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Helmed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Anand remains a cult classic of Indian cinema. Apart from Rajesh Khanna, Amitabh Bachchan played a key role in the movie that fetched him the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor (Male).