India, April 10 -- In the late 90s and early 2000s, Tamil superstar Rajinikanth was going through a slump. His stardom had waned, many argued, as his films flopped one after the other. But in his 50s, the actor got a second wind with the success of Chandramukhi and Enthiran. But it was the late 2010s that truly marked the second coming of the superstar. His films pushed the envelope at the box office, competing with and beating even Bollywood biggies. This allowed the veteran actor to charge a premium and, in time, even leave younger superstars behind with his fee. (Also read: India's highest-paid actress earns Rs.30 crore per film, has no release in 6 years, yet beat Deepika, Alia Bhatt, Kareena)

In 2023, at the age of 72, Rajinikanth s...