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The debate over Bollywood stars’ soaring fees, extravagant demands and lavish entourages continues, particularly at a time when many big-budget films are struggling at the box office. Reports of actors charging in crores, arriving with a team of 20, and demanding multiple vanity vans for different purposes have sparked widespread criticism. While some have blamed the stars, others point fingers at corporate-backed studios for encouraging such practices. Now, Aamir Khan, who is also a producer, has openly condemned these excesses, calling them “a shame.”
Speaking with Komal Nahta on his YouTube channel Game Changers, Aamir recalled the industry’s earlier practices: “The dominance of stars is good to a certain extent and it should be so. Even people love to watch stars. When I came into the industry, there was a system that whenever a star comes, the producer pays his driver and the spot boy. I thought the driver and the boy are working for me… why is the producer paying the money?”
The actor continued: “I am a very independent man. I don’t want producers paying my staff. Does this mean the producer will also pay for my kid’s school? Where does it stop? The producer should only spend as much as the film requires. Pay the make-up man, hairdresser, costume person—that’s all part of the film. But why would the producer pay for my boy or my driver? They are working for me.”
Calling current trends “dangerous for the industry,” Aamir Khan expressed shock at the demands he hears about today: “Producers now pay an actor’s driver’s monthly salary, the boy who brings tea and coffee, even personal cooks. Some stars bring a cooking van and a gym van on set—and the producer pays for that too. When a star earns in crores, can’t he pay his own staff? Every star’s priority should be not to burden the film. That is called being a team player.”
Aamir clarified that producers should pay for everything directly tied to a film’s production—like special training for a role—but not for personal luxuries. “When I did a film on wrestling, the training was provided by the producer. But making them pay for your cook? That makes no sense. If you have that kind of money, spend it yourself. Nobody will object. But why make your producer deal with it?”
Aamir Khan also gave a personal example: “Even when I take my family on outdoor shoots, not once have I made the producer pay for it. I put in the extra money myself. Today, stars are taking advantage of being stars. I find this very odd. It’s a shame that even today there are actors who are being very unfair to their producers and films.”
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