Bollywood’s horror show: Skyrocketing star fees and entourage costs leave Hindi film industry technicians, writers and actors ‘bleeding’ | Bollywood News
It is now impossible to attend a party, a meeting or even have a coffee with anyone connected to the Hindi film industry without three words popping up that have caused nightmares on all fronts:“I don’t have any money.” Working People Bollywood With virtually no new releases, no decent pay, and a dead “market,” some have panicked and described this as one of the most depressing periods in recent memory. But with a little research, you might understand why the industry is licking its wounds from heavy losses. There is money in the market, and it’s But that’s not the case Approach people who make films.
Indianexpress.com spoke to various industry figures over the past few weeks to find out why a pall is slowly beginning to hang over Bollywood, which was last year’s number one box office hit. Total amount: 5,000 billion rupeesSeveral actors, scriptwriters and editors have revealed that Hindi film producers are now doubling down their salaries to cater to unregulated fees and the demands of top stars.
“Apparently the market I have no more money“Most of the film’s budget goes to the lead actor and then the entourage is paid. So by the time they ask for other actors, they start cutting costs. As a result, even if you have good talent, you end up working for low wages and they either get discouraged from the start or you replace them with someone less experienced, who then doesn’t do the job well and this reflects on screen. And when the film flops, the makers are shocked as if they never expected it.”
An earlier Indian Express report said: The economics of film overheadOn an average, star spot boys charge Rs 25,000 a day, personal security guards Rs 15,000 a day and stylists Rs 100,000 each. Trade analyst Komal Nafta had previously said Akshay Kumar charged over Rs 100 crore. Meanwhile, Tiger Shroff charged Rs 35-40 million for Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, a staggering amount that put a strain on the makers.
The exorbitant salaries of crew and stars stand in stark contrast to what everyone else working in every other department of a film ultimately makes, including the writer, who starts the project off and who ultimately makes everyone money.
‘Writer’s Block’
Writers who have made their mark in the film industry can command over Rs 7.5 million, with some even charging as much as Rs 20 million. For mid-level writers, the second-tier fee is Rs 5 million to Rs 6 million, and for those with one moderately successful film, the fee ranges from Rs 2.5 million to Rs 3 million. Newcomers are the most vulnerable, and are often squeezed into the Rs 200,000 to Rs 300,000 range.
“When scriptwriters negotiate for remuneration, producers often say, ‘No, no, you are a new writer, we cannot offer you this amount’. What does that have to do with anything?,” Anjum Rajabali, veteran scriptwriter and senior executive committee member of the Screenwriters Association, told Indianexpress.com on the sidelines of a session organised by SWA to discuss mental health among scriptwriters.
“A minimum fee should be fixed — Rs 1.2 million per writer. Being a new writer, they will pay only Rs 50 lakh. You have saved Rs 70 lakh, but the star has pocketed Rs 55 crore. Can you cut Rs 70 lakh from his fee?”
Several screenwriters that Indian Express spoke to said that the costs of stars and their entourage “eat up their budgets”, often leaving them with very little money. One screenwriter who has written a popular film due for release in 2023 was shocked to find that a female star’s entourage costs Rs 1.6 million a day. “And I still struggle to raise enough money for a film! You can’t write in peace when you’re always trying to make enough money to survive. Only a handful are writing films with huge budgets, the rest of us are writing to survive. This situation always makes you feel like you’re the least important person.”
Rajabali said disparities emerge even on major studio films when new writers are involved: “The star’s hair stylist and stylist end up making more than the writer. How much is their contribution to the success of the film and how much is mine? This skewed economic picture hurts.”
The veteran scriptwriter said the solution is not to approach studios and ask them not to pay hairdressers what they are currently paying, but simply to pay scriptwriters higher salaries. “Now it is up to them where they adjust and how they do it. You are paying Rs 10 lakh a day and now you are trying to pay Rs 1.2 million to scriptwriters,” Rajabali fumed.
An industry insider said Bollywood is going through a tough time, with no one benefiting apart from the very best. “It’s a dire situation. No one is willing to take risks, no one is thinking things through and nothing is working. It’s a mess. Only star films are being made. There seems to be a wage crisis across the board, not just for scriptwriters.”
A well-known cinematographer who the Indian Express spoke to revealed that studios are negotiating with cinematographers to make films for just one per cent of the escort fee. Established editors’ rates currently range from Rs 8 million to Rs 10 million, with the next rate band at Rs 5 million to Rs 6 million and editors working on medium-budget films at Rs 2.5 million to Rs 3 million. However, the rates of some cinematographers have fluctuated and reputed production companies are now trying to cut down not just their fees but also their food costs.
“We need stars, not actors.”
It’s not just star-studded films that cut costs. An actor who had recently appeared in a popular film was booked to appear in the film for a day. It was a small role and the actor was due Rs 15,000, which they were to receive in instalments. The first payment was made but the second never came, even though the film was bankrolled by a major production house. The actor felt that the payment was so low that he could not even ask for the remaining Rs 7,000 from the makers, who had made thousands of rupees from the theatrical release and subsequent OTT rights.
“If the amount is big, I understand it should be paid with hardship. But why should actors who don’t have regular roles also have to go through this hardship? Salaries are not being paid, payments are delayed and it all adds up to a miserable situation that is taking a toll on actors,” the actor said.
A detailed look at the work of artists who don’t fall into the category of popular celebrities who star in movies paints a disturbing picture: the gamble is between refusing low-paying jobs in the hope that something better will come along, or jumping at high-paying projects that are “obviously bad,” in which case they might ride the wave but will be even less valuable if things go wrong.
An actress who has been praised for her incredible performances in films and streaming services said that the pay is grossly unfair: “Most of the time, actresses like me are paid the same as a hairdresser. My income from a film, which I took on knowing the limitations, is pocket money for one of my entourage a day.”
One actor, who has mostly played supporting roles till now, recalled how a producer approached him to do a film with a decent role and a popular cast for Rs 7,000 a day. “I know they had spent a lot of money on marketing and other aspects. After years of experience in the industry, an actor like me has finally started turning down a few roles because the pay is low. But it comes with a big risk,” says the actor.
Another popular streaming actor, on condition of anonymity, told The Indian Express that he is on the verge of quitting the industry as lack of basic salary has left him in a bind. “Right now there is no work and no salary. The battle is fierce and it’s a tense situation for artistes like us. It makes me feel even worse when I see production companies spending money on unnecessary things.”
Actors who the industry doesn’t consider “commercially viable” are in the toughest position when it comes to pay. When a film’s budget goes up, even if it does decently well at the box office, it doesn’t help anyone because it means less is recouped.
“A billion-rupee failure.”
In an earlier article in the Indian Express on Bollywood’s poor first quarter performance, Komal Nafta had slammed several films that had gone over budget, thereby affecting their revenues. Crew starring Kareena Kapoor, Tabu and Kriti Sanon“Star Wars: Episode I,” for example, grossed Rs 890 crore across India upon release. “But the budget was so high that it barely broke even. You can’t say, ‘I made an Rs 800 crore film and made back Rs 800 crore,'” Nafta said.
An industry insider revealed that this is primarily responsible for the halt in the string of film announcements in the industry: “If a film made on a budget of Rs 500 crore earns a revenue of Rs 100 crore, you are in a position to continue making profits and immediately invest in your next project. But now, when a medium-sized film on paper is made on a budget of Rs 100 crore and earns that much, it will naturally make you pause and reflect on what went wrong and where.”
Sources close to filmmaking say that after the pandemic, as the market went digital, streamers started paying huge amounts of money to filmmakers to buy their films and to actors to star in their original features. With fees suddenly increased, those who were charging Rs 50 million for a theatrical release were suddenly receiving Rs 150 million to entice them to come to the platform.
“Once they started earning that amount, it became the norm once the post-Covid situation normalised. So suddenly, there were a bunch of mid-level stars charging fees between Rs 150 crore and Rs 300 crore while their films often had single-digit opening day box office take. Producers kept their fees constant as they thought the digital revolution would start showing results in theatres too, but almost all their films have flopped and now everyone is in a pinch,” the source added.
The Indian Express sent a series of questions to producer Shibashish Sarkar, president of the Producers’ Association of India, asking about the dissatisfaction of all stakeholders involved, the threat of soaring entourage fees and possible solutions to pull the industry out of the crisis, but received no response.
