Anil Kapoor revealed that Salman was the first superstar to demand a payment for a stage performance.
Ever wonder why Bollywood stars get paid millions to perform at award shows? It wasn’t always that way.
Back in the day, actors performed for free. The trade-off? They’d get a trophy or some kind of honor. But all that changed because of one man: Salman Khan.
Anil Kapoor recently spilled the beans on a talk show, revealing that Salman was the first superstar to demand a payment for a stage performance.
The reason? A legendary mix-up at the Filmfare Awards. After the success of “Maine Pyar Kiya,” Salman was promised a Best Actor award. He showed up with his whole family, ready to celebrate. But when his name was called as a nominee, the winner was someone else—Jackie Shroff for Parinda.
Furious, Salman went backstage. He was supposed to perform for the show but refused to do it for free. He demanded a fee five times his usual rate. The organizers, desperate to have him, paid up.
That moment created a ripple effect that changed Bollywood forever. Now, top stars like Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, and Priyanka Chopra command fees in the crores for their award show performances. They’re all cashing in on a precedent set by Salman Khan.