Rishab Shetty’s Game-Changing Deal: How Kantara Chapter 1’s Star Earns Not a Salary, But Profit Share!

BoxOfficeWala Exclusive, Thursday, October 23, 2025: The mythological blockbuster Kantara Chapter 1 is not just making history at the Box Office. It is also setting new trends in how top stars get paid.

The film is a huge success. The main star, director, and writer, Rishab Shetty, has reportedly chosen a unique payment model. This model is based on the film’s success. This is a very interesting move in the Indian film industry.

Kantara Chapter 1 has been an unbelievable success story. It has a massive budget of ₹125 Crore. It has already collected over ₹557 Crore (India Net) as per the latest BoxOfficeWala report.

When a film earns so much, the earnings of the cast become a big topic of discussion. Let us look at the details of the actors’ payments for this pan-India phenomenon.

Rishab Shetty: The Man Who Bet on His Own Film

The biggest news about the cast’s fees involves Rishab Shetty himself. He is the heart and soul of the Kantara universe. He serves as the actor, director, and writer for Kantara Chapter 1. For all these major roles, he has reportedly not taken a traditional fixed upfront salary.

The Profit-Sharing Model

Instead of a fixed fee, Rishab Shetty reportedly chose a profit-sharing deal. This means his final earnings will depend directly on how well the film performs commercially. The bigger the box office success, the bigger his paycheck will be. This shows a huge confidence in his own creative vision. He literally bet on his film’s success.

This type of model is common with Hollywood stars. It is now becoming popular among top-tier Indian stars, especially after the success of Kantara’s first part. It aligns the star’s interest with the film’s total box office performance.

Reports suggest that Rishab Shetty’s overall earnings from this profit-sharing model could be very high. Some reports even hint at a potential figure that might touch ₹100 Crore or more, including an upfront component and the profit share.

This makes him, by far, the highest-paid person associated with Kantara Chapter 1.

Investing in the Vision

Adding to this unique payment structure, reports also suggest that Rishab Shetty has invested his own money into the project. This deep commitment highlights his dedication to bringing the epic story to life on a grand scale.

The first Kantara was a massive sleeper hit, earning over ₹400 Crore worldwide on a tiny budget of about ₹16 Crore.

Because of that huge success, Rishab Shetty’s pay has seen a massive jump, potentially a 25-fold increase compared to his estimated ₹4 Crore fee for the first part.

The Supporting Cast’s Remuneration

While Rishab Shetty’s profit-sharing deal is the highlight, the other major actors in Kantara Chapter 1 have reportedly taken a standard fee for their roles. These actors are also highly respected for their work. The film has a large and talented ensemble cast.

Key Actors’ Estimated Fees

For the other principal roles in the movie, the actors are said to have received a respectable fixed fee. This includes actors like Rukmini Vasanth, Sapthami Gowda, Gulshan Devaiah, and Jayaram. These actors have played very important roles in the mythological drama.

According to various industry reports, the key supporting actors have reportedly charged around ₹1 Crore each for their roles. This is a very good fee for supporting roles. Their work has been highly praised by critics and the audience.

Rukmini Vasanth and Gulshan Devaiah, in particular, have received a lot of appreciation for their performances. Their fees reflect their growing popularity and the large scale of the film.

Why the Fees are Important

The high fees for the supporting cast show the large scale of the Kantara Chapter 1 project. When the budget is ₹125 Crore, the film needs top talent in every role. Paying a good price helps the producers get the best actors and technical teams.

The Massive Budget and The Cost of Production

The ₹125 Crore budget for Kantara Chapter 1 is huge. It is one of the most expensive films to come out of the Kannada film industry. This large budget covers many things. It is not just the actors’ pay.

Where Does the Money Go?

The majority of the money goes into the production values.

This includes building massive sets, creating grand visual effects, and shooting complex action sequences.

Kantara Chapter 1 required extensive training in martial arts like Kalaripayattu and horse riding for the lead. The film also features a massive war sequence. This sequence reportedly used over 500 skilled fighters and a total cast of nearly 3,000 people. Filming such large-scale scenes takes a lot of money and time.

The film’s grand look and feel are what attracted audiences across India. The money spent on the visual spectacle is visible in every scene. The production house, Hombale Films, clearly spared no expense to make this a true pan-India epic.

A New Trend for the Future

Rishab Shetty’s decision to skip a fixed salary for a profit-sharing model is a big change. It shows that stars who are also writers and directors are now taking bigger risks. But they are also aiming for bigger rewards.

If the film continues its historic run, Rishab Shetty’s final earnings will be one of the highest in Indian cinema this year.

This successful deal will surely encourage more top stars to follow this model in the future. The box office collections prove that this risk has paid off in a massive way.