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The recent diktat is driven by the fact that producers end up footing large bills for not only hair and make-up artistes — who charge anything between Rs 20,00 to Rs 50,000 a day — but also for drivers,spot boys,personal assistants of various kinds and sometimes,even gym trainers who join actors on outdoor shoots. For a movie shoot lasting 70-100 days,the producers often end up dishing out crores of rupees only on the personal staff.

High costs don’t worry Ramesh Taurani,producer of Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani and the upcoming Race 2,as much as the inconvenience caused each time a personal assistant negotiates his own fee with the production house. “Now,the actors will deal with them personally though we do expect the stars to hike up their fee in the process,” he says.

The guild was in talks with stars such as Shah Rukh Khan,Akshay Kumar,Ajay Devgn,Hrithik Roshan and Ranbir Kapoor,who have backed the move. “I don’t have a personal hair and make-up artiste,but it is only fair that actors should pay for their personal staff,” says Abhishek Bachchan. However,some members of the industry believe that the move finds support with these actors because they have also forayed into production now.

Several actors who do not belong to the A-list category,are not in favour of the move. “The decision is fair as far as top stars are concerned. But actors like me,who are paid way less in comparison,can’t afford the fee of these assistants,” says Fernandez. But parity of treatment and attitude is exactly what this new rule will bring about.

The trend of an entourage accompanying stars is relatively new. During an earlier interview to the publication,veteran actress Neetu Kapoor spoke about how stars did not have vanity vans or stylists at their disposal in the ’70s. “We used to put a table on the road,place a mirror on it and do our make-up ourselves,” she said. Even Juhi Chawla,who was among the top actresses in the ’80s and ’90s,would use the services of staff provided by producers.

Today,these people are more than just assistant to actors. As good as family on the sets,especially on outdoor shoots,they become friends and confidantes of stars. “I have been working with Ajay Devgn since the ’90s. I know his likes,dislikes and how he functions. All that experience justifies what I demand,” points out an associate close to Devgan.

According to actor Sonu Sood,even though personal assistants are indispensable,the exorbitant fees that they demand are unjustified. He adds that last year,actors and their assistants were upset when a similar rule was introduced and that affected the industry for nearly two months. “The guild later on drew up a pay chart based on the film’s budget,” says Sood. He,however,believes that this move will now stop personal assistants from demanding exorbitant sums.

Veteran make-up artiste Anil Pemgirikar echoes Sood’s views. “Until a few years ago,production houses used to book make-up artistes and hair stylists and we would get paid on per day basis. But all that changed with the star system growing rapidly. Today,we earn Rs 20,000 to Rs 25,000 for working on the secondary staff. We hope the new move will bring about a balance between all artistes and there will be equal distribution of fees,” he says.