After the debacle of Darbar, directed by AR Murugadoss, Sun Pictures, the production house that is bankrolling superstar Rajinikanth's next Tamil film has decided to cut the actors' fee following Darbar incurring losses of Rs 70 crore. The film is said to be one of the biggest debacles of the veteran star's career.

According to a report in Hindustan Times, a trade source revealed that Kalanithi Maran of Sun Pictures recently met Rajinikanth and convinced him to take a pay cut. "Maran met Rajinikanth on the sets of their new film last week. Following the failure of Darbar, Maran requested Rajinikanth to take a pay cut and when the latter was surprised by the decision, Maran was even ready to shelve the project. After much deliberation, Rajinikanth agreed to cut his salary by half. After being paid Rs 118 crore (including GST) for Darbar, Sun Pictures offered to pay Rs 58 crore (including GST)," the source was quoted saying.

Darbar featured Rajinikanth as an angry cop who is hell-bent on avenging his daughter. It marked the first collaboration between Rajinikanth and filmmaker AR Murugadoss. In addition to this, the film also marked the return of Rajinikanth in the role of a cop after 25 years.

Apart from Rajinikanth, Darbar also starred Nayanthara, Suniel Shetty, Prateik Babbar, Nivetha Thomas and Yogi Babu in pivotal roles. The shoot of Rajinikanth’s next film with director Siva is currently underway. The yet-untitled family drama also stars Nayanthara, Keerthy Suresh, Khushbu and Meena in important roles. The film is tipped to be a rural-based action drama.