The 1990s marked a significant era of liberalization for the Indian economy. As the Indian market began to open, numerous new opportunities for income emerged. Actors experienced a surge in their popularity, becoming larger stars than ever before, thanks to increased endorsements and greater visibility. This transformation also resulted in a notable rise in their remuneration. Chiranjeevi became the first Indian actor to earn over ₹1 crore per film, achieving this milestone with the release of Aapadbandhavudu in 1992. Notably, the first actress to reach this financial benchmark was not far behind, and her level of stardom was so immense that even the Khans could not rival her during her peak.

The first actress to charge ₹1 crore

Sridevi, often regarded as one of India's pioneering pan-India stars, was the first female actor to demand ₹1 crore per film. She reportedly received this amount for the 1993 film Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja, which was among the most expensive Indian films of its time. The ₹1 crore threshold had only recently been surpassed by Chiranjeevi, and apart from him, Sridevi was the sole actress to command such a fee. Kamal Haasan and Amitabh Bachchan joined this elite group in the mid-1990s. Interestingly, until her first retirement from acting in 1997, Sridevi not only remained the highest-paid actress in Bollywood but also earned more than her male counterparts.

During the period from 1992 to 1997, the three Khans—Shah Rukh, Salman Khan, and Aamir—alongside Sunny Deol and Sanjay Dutt, were the leading stars of the industry. However, their fees ranged between ₹50-75 lakh at that time. It was not until the late 1990s, after Sridevi had stepped away from films, that the Khans began to earn over ₹1 crore.

When Sridevi quit films at her peak

Sridevi emerged as a leading figure not only in Hindi cinema but also in Tamil and Telugu films by the mid-1990s. Together with Madhuri Dixit and Jaya Prada, she was among the select few female stars capable of headlining major films, exemplified by her roles in Gumraah, Army, and Laadla. However, in 1996, she surprised the film industry by announcing her decision to retire from acting, citing her pregnancy with her first child as the reason. Her film Judaai, released in 1997, marked her final appearance on screen for nearly 15 years, as she was only 33 years old at that time.

Sridevi made a brief return to television with the show Malini Iyer in 2004-05, but her significant comeback to cinema occurred in 2012 with English Vinglish. She subsequently appeared in Puli (2015) and Mom (2017) before her untimely passing in 2018 at the age of 54.

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