Celebrity appearances at weddings is a money spinning industry in itself for which actors charge more than the average person’s annual salary for a mere 30-minute show and tell.

Superstar Shah Rukh Khan allegedly charges Dh67,000 per minute, while arch rival Salman Khan is relatively cheaper at Dh22,350, but is reportedly more unpredictable with his mood swings.

Speaking to Emirates 24|7 on the condition of anonymity, a leading event organiser who is in the business of arranging such celebrity appearances said: “The recent reports on Shah Rukh Khan charging Rs8 crores [Dh5.36 million] to attend a wedding in Dubai this month is utter nonsense. It was probably a story planted by his camp.

“The actor is known to charge approximately Rs30m [Dh2.01m] for a half hour appearance at a function, be a business event or a wedding, of which one-third is the commission taken by his booking agent.”

Despite the cut, at Dh67,000 per minute for a half-hour appearance, the King Khan – as he is fondly known amongst his fans – is at the high end of the barometer when it comes to celebrity hirings.

The source continued: “Salman Khan and Hirthik Roshan charge approximately Rs10m [Dh670,178] for their appearances, but of the two, most event organisers prefer the latter star for his lack of tantrums and his genuine efforts in getting to know the couple before going on stage to greet the newlyweds.

“We’ve had incidences where celebrities have wished the wrong people due to their lack of interest in caring for anything but the cash they pocket.”

The source added that the celebrities always charge 100 per cent of their fees upfront, with demands including flights and accommodation for a 15-person entourage, an expensive car at their disposal and an extended hotel stay at the host’s expense.

The second tier of actors, such as Farhan Akhtar, Abhay Deol and Arjun Rampal, reportedly charge anywhere between Dh335,000 and Dh400,000, with the source adding: “While one-film wonders such as Siddarth Malhotra and Varun Dhawan could range between Dh33,500 and Dh67,000.”

In terms of actresses, the rate card is considerably lower for the conventional half hour appearance, with Katrina Kaif and Priyanka Chopra being the top-billed stars at Dh500,000.

“Bipasha Basu follows next at Dh170,000, Kangana Ranaut at Dh75,000, Chitraganda Singh at Dh50,000 and a surprisingly popular Prachi Desai at Dh 33,500,” they added.

Meanwhile, singers such as Punjabi act Sukhbir and Sophie Choudhary are known to charge approximately Dh70,000 for a 90-performance.

When quizzed about the first family of Bollywood, the Bachchans, the source added that to their knowledge, no member of the legendary Amitabh’s family has yet signed on for a wedding appearance unless it is that of a family or friend.

Even as affluent members of society have turned these celebrity show and tell sessions into a multi-million industry, there are people such as Dubai-based wedding planner, Rimjhim Bhagchandani, who claim they aren’t big fans of such half-hour appearances at marriages.

She explained further, saying: “A wedding is the bride and groom’s big day; why would you want to steal their thunder by roping in a celebrity that will overshadow the happy couple on stage?”

She continued: “I have several high profile weddings planned for later this year and I have said this exact same thing to the families. The focus of a marriage event should be the happy couple. Bring in a celebrity and no one will even recall how the bride looked, how the food was.

“A wedding is the biggest day for the couple getting married and only they should remain the sole focus; that’s my firm belief.”

Rimjhim is a dubai based wedding planner who does  wow weddings and destination weddings accross the globe.

(Pic courtesy: TWITTER)

Article Courtesy : Emirates News