Character artistes at the receiving end?
The ban on high currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 is not showing any impact on Tollywood as film shootings are going on as usual. Though many bigwigs are tight-lipped about the matter, the buzz is that actors who take their remuneration on a daily basis are in trouble.
“A few actors, including comedians and other character artistes take their remuneration on a daily basis, in cash. So it is a problem for them as they may store some unaccounted money,” says a source. Generally for a film, the lead actors, director and the actors who play second lead get a fixed remuneration while others get paid on a daily basis.
These artistes are not given bulk dates and work only three to four days for a film. They work all day, from 9 am to 6 pm, and the director shoots as many scenes as possible with them. A top character artiste charges '15 to '20 lakh per day.