The Cost of Star Power: Would They Call Him OG Have Been Cheaper Without Pawan Kalyan?

Hyderabad, October 28, 2025: The Telugu film industry is always talking about high budgets. Now, the main topic of discussion is the massive budget of the film They Call Him OG (simply called OG). The movie has already made big collections worldwide. But some industry watchers are asking a serious question. The question is this: Would the film have been much cheaper without Power Star Pawan Kalyan?

The Budget of OG and the Power Star’s Fee

The gangster-action thriller OG was a huge release. It had a massive total production budget. Reports suggest the movie was made with a budget between Rs. 200 Crore and Rs. 250 Crore. This is a big sum for any film. But one single component of this cost is attracting all the attention.

Pawan Kalyan’s Rs. 100 Crore Paycheck

Our sources confirm the very high fee taken by the lead actor. Pawan Kalyan, the ‘Power Star,’ reportedly charged a massive Rs. 100 Crore for his role in OG. This amount is nearly half of the film’s total cost. This massive fee immediately makes the movie’s budget very high. It puts immense pressure on the film to earn record collections.

For a movie with a Rs. 250 Crore budget, setting aside Rs. 100 Crore for the lead actor is a major risk.

Breaking Down the OG Cost Structure

Let us look at how the money was spent on the film, according to various reports.

Pawan Kalyan’s Fee: Approximately Rs. 100 Crore.

Rest of the Cast & Crew: The remaining cast, including Bollywood actor Emraan Hashmi (reported Rs. 5 Crore), Priyanka Mohan (reported Rs. 1.5-2 Crore), and director Sujeeth (reported Rs. 6-8 Crore), were paid much less.

Production Costs: This includes shooting, sets, VFX, action, music, and other technical costs.

If we remove the star’s fee, the core production cost of the film might be around Rs. 150 Crore (assuming a Rs. 250 Crore budget). This Rs. 150 Crore is still a big budget. But it is more manageable for a huge action movie.

A Cheaper OG? Hypothetical Scenario

Now, let’s ask the main question: What if a younger, less-established star was cast in the lead role?

• An upcoming star might charge only Rs. 10-25 Crore.
• If we save Rs. 75-90 Crore on the hero’s salary, the total budget would fall to around Rs. 160-175 Crore.

This lower budget would make the break-even point for distributors much easier to reach. Even a decent box office run would make the film a Super Hit.

The Trade-Off: Star Power vs. Budget Control

While making the film cheaper sounds good, we must remember the value of a superstar like Pawan Kalyan.

The Pulling Power of Power Star

Pawan Kalyan’s name itself ensures a huge opening.

OG made a record-breaking worldwide gross of Rs. 154 Crore on Day 1.

The film also set records in the overseas market, especially in North America.

This kind of opening power only comes with a huge star. A new actor could not have generated this massive pre-release buzz or the bumper opening day collections. Producers pay big money to stars to secure this kind of box office guarantee. This star power helps the film recover costs very quickly through non-theatrical rights (OTT, Satellite).

Conclusion: A Necessary Evil?

OG needed a strong performance to cover its huge budget. It performed well initially, but the collections dropped fast later. Despite all the risks, the star’s fee is what brought in the huge initial audience.

Pawan Kalyan’s high salary made OG a high-stakes film. His presence made it a huge event and gave it a record-breaking opening. The high fee is a necessary evil to get a massive opening and huge pre-release business. Therefore, while OG could have been cheaper without Pawan Kalyan, it would not have been the same box office phenomenon.