MUMBAI, Dec 22 \u2014 From fleets of private trailers to personal chefs and sprawling entourages, Bollywood stars\u2019 \u201cobnoxious\u201d demands are driving up production costs and putting a strain on the Indian film industry\u2019s finances, insiders say.<\/p>\n
Bollywood has long been unpredictable at the box office and the pandemic compounded problems, but producers argue that today\u2019s losses stem less from creative failure and more from top artists\u2019 runaway expenses.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is not so much about production cost\u2014it is more about star fees,\u201d says producer Ramesh Taurani, best known for the successful Race action franchise.<\/p>\n
Actors, filmmakers say, increasingly arrive on set with a dozen-strong entourage\u2014including makeup artists, hairdressers, stylists, gym trainers and assistants\u2014all billed to production.<\/p>\n
Stars are paid hefty fees of up to US$22.18 million (RM90.5 million) per film but additional requests for first-class travel, five-star hotels, multiple private trailers and work-shy hours have become routine.<\/p>\n
\u201cExpansive support teams, premium travel and luxury accommodations often inflate budgets without proportionate creative impact,\u201d said veteran producer Mukesh Bhatt. \u201cThe kind of demands stars make is obnoxious.\u201d<\/p>\n
Distributor and trade analyst Raj Bansal added: \u201cOne actor usually comes with 10 to 15 staff members.<\/p>\n
\u201cEarlier, actors wouldn\u2019t mind sharing one vanity van. Then they decided to give one vanity van each to a big star\u2014and demand went on increasing.\u201d<\/p>\n
A single trailer hired for the duration of a film shoot can cost as much US$18,000. For some actors, insiders say, demanding more has become a status symbol.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u2018Self-respect\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n
Bollywood has always been considered high-risk, producing more flops than hits, but producers say the balance has tipped sharply as star-driven costs spiral beyond what box office returns can sustain.<\/p>\n
The fragile model was shaken after the pandemic, when streaming platforms bought films at inflated prices.<\/p>\n
When those deals dried up, producers faced a painful course correction as income plunged but actors\u2019 demands stayed elevated. And that problem continues today.<\/p>\n
Competition has also intensified.<\/p>\n
\u201cAudience behaviour has matured, streaming platforms have broadened horizons and regional cinema has elevated creative standards,\u201d says Bhatt.<\/p>\n
\u201cYet, alongside this progress, rising production costs\u2014particularly talent-driven budgets\u2014have introduced a significant strain. It is not the films that falter, but the economics that lose balance.\u201d<\/p>\n
Actor-filmmaker Aamir Khan slammed stars for burdening producers with these costs.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou earn in crores (tens of millions of rupees),\u201d Khan said, in a September interview with the YouTube show Game Changers. \u201cWhere\u2019s your self-respect?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u2018Power of storytelling\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n
Industry insiders say actors\u2019 demands also have a cascading effect, as stars seek to exceed each other\u2019s perks.<\/p>\n
\u201cA measured approach will allow us to redirect resources toward what truly defines cinema\u2014the power of storytelling,\u201d said Bhatt.<\/p>\n
Producers have pushed for partnership-style compensation models.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen a film thrives, every contributor should benefit,\u201d Bhatt said. \u201cWhen it struggles, the weight should not rest solely on the producer, who shoulders risk from the very beginning.\u201d<\/p>\n
The 2024 science fiction action film Bade Miyan Chote Miyan (Big Mister, Little Mister), starring Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff, reportedly cost about US$42 million. After poor ticket sales, producers were reported to have mortgaged property to cover debts.<\/p>\n
There have been exceptions.<\/p>\n
Actor Kartik Aaryan waived his fee for the 2023 action-comedy Shehzada, which tanked at the box office.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf your star value and the entire project\u2019s value gives profit to the entire team, I think then the math adds up,\u201d Aaryan said. \u201cIf it doesn\u2019t, then you should take a cut.\u201d<\/p>\n
Some producers argue that the industry must confront its own excesses.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf the star fee and entourage is affecting your budget, then don\u2019t take stars,\u201d says actor-writer-producer Viveck Vaswani.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have made 40 films with 40 newcomers and have prospered. I took SRK (Shah Rukh Khan) when nobody wanted him. I cast Raveena Tandon when nobody knew her.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vaswani, a longtime friend of Khan, notes that \u201cSRK has no entourage cost, he pays his own\u201d, as does Akshay Kumar.<\/p>\n
\u201cLots of them do that, they don\u2019t burden the producers,\u201d he said. \u201cIf you think your star is stronger than your script, you are wrong.\u201d \u2014 AFP<\/p>\n
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