Paychecks of Sholay’s Stars: Then and Now!

Sholay’s permanent heritage is well documented, but the wages of the iconic cast provide a contrast.

Experienced Superstar Dharmendra was the highest paid actor in Sholay and took 1.5 Lakh home because he described Naughty Veeru. His joint star and his friend Aitabh Bachchan was paid RS 1 for the role of Jai.

Hema Malini, who played Spirit Basanti, won 75,000 RS, while Jaya Bachchan’s wages for Radha were at the lowest level among the main players in 35,000 RS.

Sanjeev Kumar was paid 1.25,000 RS. Amjad Khan received 50,000 RS.

Mac Mohan, who immortalized the character of Sambha with just a few lines, was reported to pay 12,000 RS, while Sachin Pilgaonkar, a young actor at that time, received a gift from the producers instead of a fee.

For decades of Sholay, he saw that these actors’ careers explode and the salary checks grew exponentially.

Amitabh Bachchan’s earnings increased dramatically and commanded the wages in Crores in the following decades. In recent years, the income from films, brand approval and popular TV show Kaun Banega Crorepati has been among the highest taxpayers of India, and their earnings have reached hundreds of Crore in a single financial year.

Dharmendra and Hema Malini, who are already settled stars, continued to receive high wages for their roles at the peak of their careers, and around 5 RS for the highest wage language of Hema Malini (1977) in the late 70s.