Award shows have become some of the most anticipated events of the year, giving fans the opportunity to watch stellar performances by their favourite stars outside of films.

Artists now receive hefty paychecks for these performances, depending on their talent and star power.

However, there was a time when they performed solely in exchange for awards, without being paid for their hard work.

The first star to break this glass ceiling was none other than Salman Khan.

Actor Anil Kapoor once appeared on Sajid Khan’s talk show Sajid’s Superstars and revealed that Salman was the first actor to charge a fee for performing at award functions.

In 2023, during a press conference, the Bodyguard actor himself recalled how, after the blockbuster film Maine Pyaar Kiya, he was assured that he would be given the Best Actor trophy if he attended the Filmfare Awards.

However, the award went to Jackie Shroff instead, and when the organisers asked him to perform, Salman flatly refused.

It was at that time that he ended up demanding more money than had initially been offered to him.

He shared that, after being quoted a figure, he insisted it was not enough and kept asking for “a little more, a little more” until the amount grew to nearly five times the original offer. The organiser, while agreeing to the sum, requested that he not disclose it to anyone.

But Salman immediately walked out and told Akshay Kumar and Juhi Chawla about the cheque he had received, encouraging them to negotiate for the same.

According to him, that marked the first time an award function actually paid actors for their performances.