‘Why Are Stars Being Paid Rs 35 Crore?’

‘Everyone
knows
the
money
the
stars
are
asking
for
is
absurd.’

Ashok
Kumar
is
widely
recognised
as
Hindi
cinema’s
first
superstar,
a
status
he
gained
with

Kismet
(1943),
which
earned
a
reported
Rs
1.1
crore
(Rs
11
million)
to
be
labelled
the
first
Hindi
blockbuster.
Before
he
became
an
actor,
Kumar
was
a
lab
technician
at
Bombay
Talkies,
and
continued
to
be
on
a
monthly
salary
as
an
actor.

Contrast
that
to


what
Karan
Johar
said
on
Faye
D’Souza’s
YouTube
channel
on
July
5.

‘There
are
10
viable
actors
in
Hindi
cinema.
They
are
all
asking
for
the
sun
and
moon
and
earth
and
you
are
paying
them.
Those
movie
stars
are
asking
for
Rs
35
crore
(Rs
350
million)
and
opening
to
Rs
3.5
crore
(Rs
35
million).
How
is
that
math
working?’
Johar
said.

This
statement
resonated
far
and
wide,
because
Johar’s
Dharma
Productions
is
one
of
the
biggest
production
houses.
And
it
came
at
a
time
when
several
star
vehicles
have
not
done
roaring
businesses,
though
they
were
made
at
humongous
budgets
in
which
the
biggest
cost
head
was
the
leading
man’s
fee.

Hindi
film
industry’s
insiders
say
Johar
is
big
enough
to
state
this
boldly.
Several
film-makers
share
his
view
but
are
reluctant
to
speak
out.

Is
the
dependence
on
stars
making
the
business
model
of
Hindi
movies
unviable?

“There
is
nothing
wrong
with
the
business
model.
There
is
a
problem
with
how
people
value
talent.
When
an
actor
or
director
is
paid
more
than
the
value
they
add
to
a
film,
the
model
breaks,”
says
Chaitanya
Chinchlikar,
vice-president
at
Whistling
Woods
International,
a
well-regarded
school
in
Mumbai
for
film
and
other
creative
arts.

“Stars
who
cannot
guarantee
a
minimum
Rs
100
crore
(Rs
1
billion)
opening
must
not
be
paid
Rs
35
crore.
My
question
is,
why
are
they
being
paid
Rs
35
crore?”

The
question
becomes
more
pertinent
at
a
time
when
some
non-star
vehicles
are
raking
it
in,
most
notably

12th
Fail,
produced
and
directed
by
Vidhu
Vinod
Chopra.

As
film
budgets
have
expanded
in
the
modern
era,
their
biggest
cost
head
has
ballooned
disproportionately.
One
male
star
is
believed
to
have
made
Rs
130
crore
(Rs
1.3
billion)
from
a
single
movie.
That
was
his
last
hit,
in
2021.
Since
then,
he
has
given
a
string
of
flops
but
continues
to
be
paid
high
fees.

In
contrast,
there
is
a
leading
actor
who
charges
nothing
upfront.
He
takes
a
cut
in
the
profits
once
the
entire
cost
of
the
film
—
including
all
salaries
and
marketing
and
promotion
costs
—
have
been
recovered.

He
takes
a
lion’s
share
of
the
profits,
three-fourths
or
so,
but
he
bears
the
risk
as
well.
He
gets
nothing
if
the
film
makes
a
loss.

Another
leading
actor
produces
all
his
movies
now.

There
are
just
three
or
four
who
bear
the
risk.
Most
of
the
others
want
their
money
upfront.
This
money,
which
would
be
in
lakhs
in
the
1990s,
is
now
several
times
more.

These
fees
were
sustainable
till
about
two
years
ago.

Starting
2020,
when
COVID
enveloped
the
world
in
a
pall
of
gloom,
streaming
platforms
such
as
Netflix
and
Amazon
Prime
Video
splurged
on
content.
They
acquired
rights
to
movies
for
large
sums,
and
commissioned
original
content
for
budgets
just
as
large,
if
not
more.

As
people
stayed
home,
content
consumption
at
home
shot
through
the
roof
and
streaming
platforms
wanted
to
cash
in.

Now
audiences’
appetite
is
much
less.
What’s
more,
viewers
have
become
choosy.
Some
of
the
films
flopping
today
would
have
done
well
during
the
pandemic.
But
not
anymore.

Naturally,
streaming
platforms
decided
to
tighten
their
purse
strings.
Industry
insiders
say
they
now
pay
no
more
than
Rs
35
crore
to
Rs
40
crore
(Rs
350
million
to
Rs
400
million)
for
a
film
for
which
they
would
have
paid
Rs
70
crore
(Rs
700
million)
during
the
pandemic
time.

“Stars
became
unaffordable
the
moment
the
pandemic
ended.
Deep
down,
everyone
knows
the
money
they
are
asking
for
is
absurd.
To
make
money,
the
best
case
scenario
must
happen.
That
is
not
how
businesses
are
run,”
says
Anish
Chandy,
Founder
of
Labyrinth
Literary
Agency,
which
has
so
far
been
involved
in
more
than
110
deals
to
convert
books
into
movies
and
Web
series.

Amid
this,

12th
Fail
stands
out
as
a
huge
success
without
stars.
How
replicable
is
this
model?

“It
is
workable,
but
very
difficult,”
says
Diptakirti
Chaudhuri,
who
was
business
head
at
Vinod
Chopra
Films
till
April
this
year.

“The
solution
does
not
lie
in
the
revenues,
the
solution
lies
in
the
cost.
Mr
Vidhu
Vinod
Chopra
is
a
creative
powerhouse,
but
he
is
also
a
canny
producer.”

According
to
Chaudhuri,
Chopra,
as
the
producer,
puts
his
money
where
he
thinks
it
will
make
a
difference
to
the
film.

He
is
also
frugal
in
where
he
shoots
and
how
much
he
spends.
Even
his
large-budget
films
are,
compared
to
other
star
vehicles,
made
on
reasonable
budgets.

Chopra
also
had
the
unwavering
conviction
that

12th
Fail
would
work
in
theatres.
Going
against
the
custom,
he
released
it
without
a
deal
with
a
streaming
platform.

“It
was
Mr
Chopra’s
belief
in
his
product.
He
had
the
conviction
that
his
film
will
do
better
than
a
star
vehicle,”
says
Chaudhuri,
who
now
works
as
chief
marketing
officer
with
Casagrand
Builder
in
Bengaluru.

Chandy,
however,
points
out
that
there
will
be
more
movies
like

12th
Fail.

Already,

Munjya
is
one
of
the
hits
of
2024.

It
‘stars’
Sharvari
Wagh
and
Abhay
Verma.
Have
you
heard
of
them?