India, March 26 -- When streaming began in India, the shows were smaller in scale, largely made up of micro-episodes streaming for free on YouTube. As OTT platforms arrived, original content got bigger in scale with larger budgets and bigger stars. Saif Ali Khan starred in Sacred Games for Netflix, and Vivek Oberoi appeared in Inside Edge for Prime Video. Naturally, these actors charged a sizable fee. But as bigger names entered the OTT space, the stars' fees began touching astronomical amounts, with the highest-paid of them all charging over Rs.100 crore for one season.

In 2021, Ajay Devgn signed on to star in the Indian adaptation of the hit British show, Luther. Taking over the mantle from Idris Elba, Ajay starred in Rudra: Edge of Da...