Hindi film stars in online adventures

With online gaming on a rapid growth curve in India, stars in the Hindi film world are all set to cash in on the popularity of the segment.
According to industry players, stars charge anywhere upto to Rs 10-15 lakhs for games being created on them. Also, there are two types of revenue sharing model prevailing in the industry, where either the stars are paid a lump-sum amount or are given a share of the profit on every game that is downloaded. The profit sharing can range anywhere between 15-25%, say sources.
Says Rohit Sharma, COO, Zapak Digital Entertainment Ltd, "There are stars who prefer a share of the profit to be given. However, it’s a healthy mix of both."
Gaming portals like Zapak have tied up with Salman Khan, Hungama has roped in Amitabh Bachchan and Hrithik Roshan, Jump Games have created games on Bappi Lahiri and Bipasha Basu and Indiagames, with Yana Gupta. The gaming portals are encashing the magic of Bollywood by creating games and contents on them to attract more users.
"Going forward, Bollywood will play a significant role in the growth of online gaming industry," Sharma adds.
The Rs 21 crore ($840M) gaming industry currently is at a nascent stage in India and Bollywood contributes to less than 5% for the same. In India , school and college going youth between the age group of 17 and 25 are the key drivers of this segment.
Says Alok Kejriwal, CEO and founder of Games2win.com, "Users won’t pay premium money if there is no challenge involved in the character. Hence, of all the games that are prepared on Bollywood stars, only a handful of them become popular."