With films like ‘Pathaan’, ‘Jawaan’ and ‘Animal’ performing well at the box office, one would think that Bollywood has revived from the nightmares of its past, especially during the post-COVID era. However, that is definitely not the case.
According to a report by Indian Express, actors, writers, and editors have shared that Hindi film producers are slashing their paychecks to meet the high fees and demands of top stars. Recently, big-budget Hindi films have been failing at the box office, highlighting the issue of uncontrolled spending on stars. This has led to what many in Bollywood are calling one of the toughest times in recent memory, with few new movies being announced, low pay, and a stagnant market.
Actor Abhishek Banerjee, who is known for his performance in Stree, Bhediya, Dream Girl, Dream Girl 2, Pataal Lok, and Mirzapur, opened up to Hindustan Times about how actors are not getting their deserved fees as most of the budget for a movie is being dedicated to the star of the film.
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Abhishek Banerjee, also having worked as a casting director, revealed how a star’s bodyguard is often paid more than an actor’s daily wage.
“I have been casting for movies and shows for many years now. So many unnecessary demands are made by certain stars. What happens because of that is actors ko paise nahi milte. I would be told by makers ‘kam paise mein cast karo’. I don’t know if the stars know this reality or not. Sometimes good actors get peanuts for a show or a film. Star value of course gets people to the theatres and buy tickets, but at the same time, an actor also adds same value to a story, one cannot neglect that. One can’t pay a star’s bodyguard more than an actor’s daily wage,” he said.
He went on to add an incident wherein he was asked to cast good actors for less pay, which he feels is a very unfair thing to do,
“Mujhe yaad hai hamare paas casting mein ek difficult situation aati thi. We would be told ‘hamare paas budget itna hi hai lekin achha actor chahiye’ I would be like ‘achha actor kam paise mein kyun kaam kare, aur kaise kare? Kam paison mein how do I convince a good actor to be a part of a particular project. It’s sad, it shouldn’t be that.”
What a sad time for the film industry!