Karan Johar’s DCA chief Rajeev Masand admits entourage costs have ‘spiralled irrationally’, says introspection is required when makeup artists make more than writers

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Masand chimed in, “It reveals a chink in the system. I was at a meeting with the Producers Guild of India, who raised this issue and said that it’s getting out of hand, and they called for a meeting of agency heads. It’s funny that all of us said the same thing, that it’s in your hands. Unite and say we will not pay, cap costs. They weren’t able to do it because there’s no unity among the producers. Till you don’t achieve that, you’re not going to be able to take a stand.”

Masand said that every department has its value, but there shouldn’t be a scenario where editors and cinematographers and writers are making less than the makeup artist. “I do think that costs have spiralled irrationally. If hair and makeup is getting paid more than the editor of a film or the writer of a film, there’s a problem. Actors need to take a stand, but really, the ball is finally in the court of the producers. They need to unite and say we’re not going to encourage this.”

The Indian Express has reported extensively on rising entourage costs in the past year. It was found that in some cases, the spot boys of a star on an average would charge Rs 25,000 per day, personal security would pocket Rs 15,000 per head per day and a stylist would charge upto Rs 1 lakh.