Vinod Khanna was seen as the only contender for the then rising star Amitabh Bachchanat. The competition was fierce and Vinod Khanna almost overtook Amtiabh Bachchan. But everything changed after Vinod Khanna decided to give up his film career and join Osho Ashram in the United States. Five years later, Vinod Khanna made a strong comeback with the 1987 film “Insaaf”. Recently, actor-director-writer Anant Mahadevan recalled Vinod Khanna’s charisma among the audience and his character with those close to him. During the conversation, Anant also recalled that Vinod Khanna’s fixed fee was Rs 35 lakh, regardless of the number of days he shot the film. “Whether it’s one day or 20 days, his fee is fixed,” he said.
In an interview with Siddharth Kannan, Ananth Mahadevan fondly recalled his dream of working with Vinod Khanna. He said, “I wanted to work with a brilliant person like Vinod Khanna. When you really show something, it becomes true. When I was making a film about the Naxalites, Red Alert, which had a stellar cast including Ashish Vidyarthi, Sameera Reddy, and Suniel Shetty, in which Vinod Khanna played a very crucial role, I had this wonderful opportunity to watch. This guy is standing there performing.
“People lined up to buy advance tickets for his comeback movie”
Recalling the actor’s return to theaters after five years, he said, “I remember when ‘Insav’ was released, it was supposed to be his comeback film after returning from Osho’s ashram. His charisma made him People queued up from Apsara Theater to Maratha Mandir to buy advance tickets, which was a quiet distance of over a kilometer. However, the film did not perform well compared to the initial craze. Someone who is there for all seasons, whether it’s art or politics.
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He added: “He was very happy and friendly. Every time I went to him with a role, he would say, ‘Anant, you know me, my batta rate is: Rs 35 lakh. I collected 35 lakh Rs. Now you ask me to shoot for one day or twenty days, my fee is still the same. He charges a fixed fee.
Ananth Mahadevan and Vinod Khanna have appeared in films such as Red Alert (2010) and Chandni (1989).
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