'Mungaru Male' brings bonanza for director and hero

The phenomenal success of "Mungaru Male" has spelt a record fee hike for its hero and director in the forthcoming Kannada film "Gali Pata".

Yogaraj Bhat, director of "Mungaru Male", will be wielding the megaphone in "Gali Pata" for an unprecedented remuneration of Rs.11.5 million.

According to his agreement with the producers, if the film does a business of over Rs.80 million, Bhat will receive a further bonus of Rs.3.5 million.

Ganesh, the most popular star here, has been signed for "Gali Pata" for a whopping fee of Rs.7 million.

The producers, SPR Enterprises, expect the film, which has a budget of Rs.65 million, to do business of around Rs.100 million.

Andhra Pradesh-based industrialist Suryaprakash Rao and well-known producer M.N. Rathnam control SPR Enerprises. Rathnam is a big name in South Indian cinema and has produced films like "Indian" and "Mudhalvan" in Tamil and "Bangaram" in Telugu, besides "Nayak" in Hindi.

Dayal Padmanabhan, executive producer of SPR Enterprises, said the producers have also signed up R. Rathnavelu, the highest-paid cinematographer of the south Indian film industry for the film.

According to Dayal, the film will be shot at a stretch for 65 days in locations like Theerthahalli, Kodachaadri Hills, Sakleshpur and Bangalore.

Indo-Asian News Service