Kabir Khan breaks down all the ways in which the industry can save money on film production: ‘A lot of wastage takes place’

In an interview, filmmaker Kabir Khan said that Bollywood is a very wasteful industry, and that after the pandemic, everybody is working hard to reduce spending.

By: Entertainment Desk

New Delhi | Updated: January 29, 2023 08:48 AM IST

3 min read

Kabir Khan's last film was 83. (Photo: Kabir Khan/Instagram)

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Filmmaker Kabir Khan said that the industry is aware that the ‘theatrical pie’ has shrunk in the post-pandemic era, and everyone is working towards reducing unnecessary spending. In an interview, Kabir said that even as someone who works with big stars, it’s possible to not waste money.

He told Bollywood Hungama that directors shouldn’t compromise on the scale of their movies, but should work towards cutting down on wastage, because there’s a lot of wastage on film sets. He went on to break down the various ways in which productions can keep spending in check.

Also read | Karan Johar explains how a hit film can lose money, breaks down maths of making movies: ‘Student of the Year was a hit, but we lost money’

He said, “Post-pandemic, all of us are making corrections, for sure. Because one has become aware that the theatrical pie is shrinking. So, therefore, all of us are being very careful about what we spend, and to make sure that whatever we spend, is coming on the screen. Sometimes the budgets of our films are on elements that are not seen on the screen. That’s the stuff that everyone’s trying to cut off.”

He further added, “For example, the size of a crew. Don’t travel with 150 people, try to make it with 100 people. Don’t make everybody fly business class. Don’t stay in the most expensive hotels. Stay in comfortable places, but cut all that out. Don’t have 20 vanity vans if you can make do with 10. All those kind of things that don’t show on screen, they add up over a hundred-day schedule. Be very careful about wastage, whether it’s in your production design. A lot of times, directors are like ‘give me a 360-degree set, I don’t know where I’m going to turn my camera’. Don’t do that; take 180 degrees and manage in that. Plan that. It’s not like we haven’t done that before.”

Kabir Khan made his debut with Kabul Express, which he cited as an example of how to produce a film on a small budget and tight shooting schedule. He has since gone on to direct blockbusters such as Ek Tha Tiger and Bajrangi Bhaijaan. His last film was the big-budget sports drama 83, and he’ll next direct Kartik Aaryan in a new film.

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