Kartik Aaryan reveals he sacrificed Shehzada acting fee amid debate on rising entourage costs: ‘No one writes this about stars’

Filmmakers Farah Khan, Kunal Kohli and actors like Kriti Sanon and Janhvi Kapoor are among those who have also spoken about the menace of rising entourage costs.

By: Entertainment Desk

Mumbai | June 8, 2024 04:53 PM IST

3 min read

Kartik Aaryan spoke about buying luxury cars. (Photo: Kartik Aaryan/Instagram)

Actor Kartik Aaryan is the latest star to comment on rising entourage costs in Bollywood, a practice that has burdened the Hindi film industry and forced below-the-line technicians to take pay cuts. He said that an actor’s fee is fixed as per each film’s “revenue model,” and things should be fine as long as the “mathematics” of the budget add up. Indian Express has extensively reported how exorbitant star fees and outrageous demands of actors and their entourages–make up, hairdresser, stylists, spot dada– have dented the film business, ballooning budgets and stripping off dignified pay for artistes in other departments.

In an interview with Showsha, Kartik revealed that he decided to let go of his fee while working in last year’s action comedy Shehzada, as the film was facing a financial crunch. He was given a producer credit for the Rohit Dhawan directorial, which also starred Kriti Sanon.

Also Read | As star fees, entourage costs skyrocket, Hindi film industry technicians, writers and actors ‘bleed’: Bollywood’s horror show

“I got a producer credit in the film because I let go of my fee. I did this when no one was talking about these things. Because they were falling short of finances, I let go off my remuneration. No one writes this about stars. It is not just me, a lot of stars do this and a lot bigger things. There is a simple mathematics. From directors, actors, to producers, everyone wants their films to work. No one wants to load their films. I don’t think anyone thinks, ‘No no, I will charge what I want to, film jaaye bhaad mein (the film be damned)’,” he said.

Shehzada producer Bhushan Kumar had also previously praised Kartik Aaryan and said the actor “stood” by the team during the “turbulent times” as he dropped his fee.

In a recent interview with PTI, Kartik Aaryan detailed the “math” of film production and distribution. “So, you get an ‘x’ amount of money out of it. If your star value and the entire project’s value gives profit to the entire team, I think then the math adds up. If it doesn’t, then you have to, you should take a cut… It’s a healthy discussion… My whole thing is that mathematics has to add up,” he added.

Lat week, various film producer bodies and heads of the biggest talent management agencies in Bollywood began the first round of meetings to tackle the menace of entourage costs. A source had previously shared with Indianexpress.com that several talent management agencies, currently under fire for enabling rising entourage costs, assured the producers present in the meeting that they would restructure to come up with “possible solutions” and come back with a plan.

Filmmakers Farah Khan, Kunal Kohli and actors like Kriti Sanon and Janhvi Kapoor are among those who have also spoken about the issue.

Kartik Aaryan is currently awaiting the release of his next, Chandu Champion. Directed by Kabir Khan, the film is set to hit the big screens on June 14.

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