By Subhash K. Jha
Mumbai, March 18 (IANS) With Aishwarya Rai carrying home a pay packet of Rs.40 million for her proposed stint as Rajnikant’s leading lady in Shankar’s “Robot”, she has now become the highest-paid actress in Indian cinema. “Yes, it’s close to Rs.40 million. And she’s very amused when she reads that she is the highest-paid actress in Bollywood. With three hits in a row, ‘Guru’, ‘Dhoom 2′ and ‘Jodhaa Akbar’, Ash’s equity as a Rai and a Bachchan have gone through the roof,” said a source close to Aishwarya.

“It is no surprise that Aishwarya is getting Rs.40 million. It’s still chicken feed compared with what Rajnikant carries home. He takes home Rs.150 million plus fifty percent of his film’s profits. But still he cannot make a film commercially viable outside the Tamil belt on his own.

“The dubbed Hindi version of ‘Chandramukhi’ came and went. And Rajni’s biggest hit ‘Shivaji - The Boss’ is in no hurry to be released in Hindi. With Ash in ‘Robot’ it looks like an attractive non-regional film,” said another source close to the project.