This director was just paid advance of Rs 55 crore for the sequel of his recent hit even though there is no script in place.
With the rise of superstar film directors like SS Rajamouli, Rohit Shetty, and Rajkumar Hirani, it is not uncommon for filmmakers to now command a hefty sum for their services, sometimes even rivalling the heroes. In fact, one film director from down south recently broke new ground receiving advance payment of Rs 55 crore for a film without a script. And what’s more, it is not someone who you can guess easily.
The film director who got Rs 55 crore advance
On Tuesday, film trade analyst Manobala Vijayabalan tweeted that Nelson Dilipkumar, who helmed Rajinikanth’s recent hit Jailer, has now been contracted by the film’s producers for a sequel. As per the tweet, Nelson has already been paid Rs 55 crore as advance for Jailer 2. “After the historic success of superstar #Rajinikanth’s #Jailer, director #NelsonDilipkumar has been paid a whopping sum of ₹55 cr as advance for #Jailer2,” read the tweet. If the figure is true, the final fees for Jailer 2 will make Nelson the highest paid director in India, overtaking the likes of SS Rajamouli, Rohit Shetty, and Siddharth Anand.
What makes this development insane is that the film is still years away from being shotas Rajinikanth has two films lined up for now. “#Thalaivar170 with #TJGnanavel, #Thalaivar171 with #LokeshKanagaraj. Post completion of above films, Nelson Dilipkumar’s Jailer 2 will commence with Sun Pictures banner. Anirudh likely to compose music for this sequel,” the tweet further read.
After the historic success of superstar #Rajinikanth‘s #Jailer, director #NelsonDilipkumar has been paid a whopping sum of ₹55 cr as advance for #Jailer2. #Thalaivar170 with #TJGnanavel #Thalaivar171 with #LokeshKanagaraj
Post completion of above films, Nelson Dilipkumar’s… pic.twitter.com/3NqWlpdmD4
— Manobala Vijayabalan (@ManobalaV) September 26, 2023
Jailer’s box office collection
Jailer, which released in August, starred Rajinikanth, along with Vinayakan, Ramya Krishnan, and Sunil with Jackie Shroff, Shiva Rajkumar, Mohanlal, and Tamannaah Bhatia in special appearances. The film is the second-highest-grossing Tamil film of all time, having grossed over Rs 600 crore worldwide. Only Shankar’s 2.0, a pan-India film in its own right, sits ahead of it. Jailer has been Rajinikanth’s comeback to form at the box office after a couple of lukewarm hits.
Nelson Dilipkumar’s prowess and films
Nelson Dilipkumar began his journey as a director with the 2018 release Kolamaavu Kokila starring Nayanthara. The film was a moderate success earning Rs 20 crore on a small budget. In 2021, Nelson made Doctor starring Sivakarthikeyan and gave his first Rs 100-crore film. This led to him being signed for Vijay-starrer Beast. Though the film received mixed reviews, it went on to make over Rs 200 crore at the box office. Jailer is Nelson’s fourth film.
