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From fleets of private trailers to private chefs and huge entourages, the “obnoxious” demands of Bollywood stars are driving up production costs and putting a strain on the finances of the Indian film industry, insiders say.
Bollywood has long been in an unpredictable state of affairs at the box office and the pandemic has compounded the problems, but producers argue that today’s loss has less to do with creative failure and more to do with the reckless spending of top actors.
“It’s not so much about the production cost, but more about the star’s fees,” says producer Ramesh Taurani, known for the successful Race action franchise.
The filmmakers say that the actors are arriving on the sets with more than a dozen people, including make-up artists, hairdressers, stylists, gym trainers and production assistants.
Stars are paid huge fees, up to $22.18 million per film, but additional requests for first-class travel, five-star hotels, multiple private trailers and work-shy hours have become routine.
Veteran producer Mukesh Bhatt said, “Elaborate support crews, premium travel and luxury accommodations often increase the budget without proportionate creative impact.” “The kind of demands the stars make are unpleasant.”
Distributor and trade analyst Raj Bansal said: “An actor usually comes with 10 to 15 staff members.
“Earlier, actors had no objection to sharing a vanity van. Then they decided to give a vanity van to a big star and the demand grew.”
A trailer rented during a movie shoot can cost up to $18,000. Insiders say that for some actors, demanding more has become a status symbol.
– ‘Self-respect’ –
Bollywood has always been considered high-risk, with more flops being made than hits, but producers say the balance has increasingly tipped as star-driven costs have outweighed box office returns.
The fragile model was shaken after the pandemic, when streaming platforms bought movies at inflated prices.
When those deals ended, producers faced a painful course correction as income declined but demands on actors remained high. And that problem continues even today.
Competition has also intensified.
“Audience behavior has matured, streaming platforms have expanded horizons and regional cinema has raised creative standards,” says Bhatt.
“Yet, even with this progress, rising production costs, especially talent-driven budgets, have introduced a significant strain. It is not the films that falter, but the economics that are thrown out of balance.”
Actor-filmmaker Aamir Khan criticized stars for passing on the burden of these costs to producers.
“You earn in crores,” Khan said in a September interview with the YouTube show Game Changers. “Where’s your self-respect?”
– ‘The power of storytelling’ –
Industry insiders say the demands of actors also have a cascading effect, as stars want more than each other’s features.
Bhatt said, “A measured approach will allow us to redirect resources towards what truly defines cinema—the power of storytelling.”
Manufacturers have emphasized a partnership-style compensation model.
Bhatt said, “When a film flourishes, every contributor should benefit.” “When it struggles, the onus should not be solely on the manufacturer, who bears the risk from the beginning.”
The 2024 science fiction action film Bade Miyan Chhote Miyan starring Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff reportedly cost around $42 million. Following poor ticket sales, producers were reported to have mortgaged property to repay debts.
There have been some exceptions also.
Actor Kartik Aryan has waived his fees for the 2023 action-comedy Shehzada, which flopped at the box office.
“If your star value and the value of the entire project benefits the entire team, I think the math adds up,” Aryan said. “If it doesn’t, you should cut back.”
Some producers argue that the industry must confront its own excesses.
“If the star’s fee and crowd is affecting your budget, then don’t cast a star,” says actor-writer-producer Vivek Vaswani.
“I have made 40 films with 40 new actors and been successful. I cast Shahrukh when no one wanted him. I cast Raveena Tandon when no one knew her.”
Vaswani, a longtime friend of Khan, says that “SRK has no entry fee, he pays his own”, as does Akshay Kumar.
“A lot of them do it, they don’t put a burden on the manufacturers,” he said. “If you think your star is stronger than your script, you are wrong.”
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This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without any modifications to the text.
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