Aishwarya Rai has reportedly agreed to take a pay cut for her role in Madhur Bhandarkar directed Heroine, in exchange for a share in the film's profit.
The grim box office performance of Bollywood films this year has prompted Heroine producers UTV and Bhandarkar Entertainment to budget their film at a very frugal Rs 18 crore, according to the Mumbai Mirror.
Besides Aishwarya, Arjun Rampal and Bhandarkar (sure!) have agreed to pay cuts and profit sharing.
Going by the success of Bhandarkar's past films - Chandni Bar (2001), Page 3 (2005), Traffic Signal (2007), and Fashion (2008) – 'Heroine' Aishwarya and Arjun are unlikely to lose money on the project. Besides, it is not as if they had to drop other films to sign on for Heroine!
"We have worked very successfully with Madhur in the past. Getting a film made within the right budget is crucial to insuring its commercial success. On Heroine too, we have insured the same," Siddharth Roy Kapoor, CEO, UTV Motion Pictures, tells the Mumbai Mirror.
Aishwarya Rai, Madhur Bhandarkar and UTV's Ronnie Screwvala announced Heroine at the 64th Cannes Festival on May 13, 2011.
Heroine will be the first film to team Aishwarya with talented director Madhur Bhandarkar.
