Sharmila Tagore expresses concern over star fees: ‘Many actors are moving away from reality…’

This is the legacy of Sharmila Tagore, whose career remains stellar and is characterised by well-timed breaks that leave us eagerly anticipating her return to the big screen each time.

At the fourth edition of SCREEN Live, veteran actor Sharmila Tagore discussed her career, and her upcoming film, Outhouse, which is a heartwarming tale of human relationships, and the wonderful connect people have with animals. Incidentally, this movie marks her return to the big screen after 14 years. But much has changed in the way people make movies, and this was a salient talking point at the event on Monday.

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While she addressed the growing understanding and acceptance of different kinds of content, especially since the advent of OTT, Sharmila also pointed out that big-ticket films are becoming top-heavy. “I am concerned about how actors are not just charging huge amounts, but many even travel with cooks, masseuse, and an entire entourage,” said Sharmila, adding, “I was doing an ad film, and the person who did my makeup revealed that today, there some actors have a running competition over the size of their vanity vans.”

“Vanity vans were all about privacy, and a comfortable place to dress up. Now, you have meeting rooms, resting rooms, etc… All of this is pushing actors away from what actually matters… the acting,” said a candid Sharmila, who believes this chasm between reel and reality is sad. “Of course, making money is important, but if you are moving away from reality, how would you know what works and doesn’t with the audience.”

Sharmila, who has won many awards throughout her impressive 65-year-old career, pointed out that the lack of camaraderie between today’s stars is another matter of concern. “When I won an award for Aradhana, Nargis ji and Waheeda Rahman ji were there in the audience. Kishore Kumar sang on the stage. It was a celebration of the film fraternity, and not just a celebration of Sharmila Tagore. But now, in many award shows, some turn up very late, and a new row is added to the first row to accommodate the A-listers, and more importantly, no one talks to anyone,” said a pensive Sharmila, signing off from the topic with a resigned sigh. “Everybody waits for a photo-op and leaves, and many don’t even turn up if they are not getting an award. Things have changed a lot, but I don’t think for the better.”

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Outhouse, directed by Sunil Sukthankar, and starring Mohan Agashe alongside Sharmila, marks her return to the big screen 14 years after the Imran Khan-Deepika Padukone movie Break ke Baad. The film also stars Sonali Kulkarni and Neeraj Kabi.