Rolling Out the Cash for Aamir

Yash Raj Films hasn’t had a bonafide success since the 2008 Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi. And their list of turkeys is getting longer every month.

Yash Raj Films hasn’t had a bonafide success since the 2008 Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi. And their list of turkeys is getting longer every month.

The prolific film-producing studio that once took pride in getting even top stars to work for scale is rumouredly rolling out the carpet for Aamir Khan, who they want to cast in Dhoom 3. The desperate studio head is believed to have not only offered the star an attractive back-end share of the film’s profits, but also a fat upfront salary.

Notorious for binding stars and directors in three-film contracts for meagre salaries, the studio thrived in the 1990s and the early 2000s. But their formula has been failing lately. Younger actors like Imran Khan, Ranbir Kapoor and Vidya Balan have turned down offers by once maverick producer-director Aditya Chopra, forcing the famously star-dependent studio to launch newcomers every other year.

Aamir Khan, meanwhile, who took a year off acting after 3 Idiots, has announced he will star in a movie to release in 2011. Yash Raj Films wantsDhoom 3 to be that movie. But there’s a good chance Aamir may tilt in favour of Rajkumar Hirani’s project, a light entertainer that addresses the country’s obsession with religious customs and superstitions.

Aamir is expected to announce his decision by the year end, and you can bet his pay will be an important determining factor. Don’t forget, he’s believed to have taken home a cool Rs 35 crore for 3 Idiots!