An Indian production company allegedly offered Hollywood star Sydney Sweeney a Bollywood film with a staggering Rs 530 crore paycheck.
This news is circulating widely today, though the production house and film details are not being disclosed.
But realistically, who would pay such an astronomical amount to an actress relatively lesser known in India?
If makers believed her casting would boost ticket sales domestically, that would be a serious miscalculation.
History shows that importing international stars does not guarantee success. Many Indian films featuring top regional stars from other industries have struggled to attract local audiences.
Even director Puri Jagannadh brought in Mike Tyson for Liger, yet the film barely made waves in the U.S. or even within boxing circles.
Similarly, the Telugu film Robinhood cast Australian cricketer David Warner, but the movie hardly registered in Australia.
Given this track record, paying such a massive sum to Sydney Sweeney seems unbelievable and likely fabricated. Moreover what were the collections of her recent films based on her presence?
For perspective, even India’s highest-paid actress, Deepika Padukone, was turned down by director Sandeep Reddy Vanga when she quoted Rs 25 crore.
In today’s industry, paying anywhere near Rs 50 crore to an actress is already extraordinary. Rs 530 crore sounds like a joke.
If true, the only possible contenders for such a collaboration would be massive upcoming films like SSMB or the Allu Arjun–Atlee project.
Still, it is hard to imagine any production house being reckless enough to pay such a bombshell price.