Mumbai, December 22, 2024 – Lavish demands from Bollywood stars – from fleets of private trailers too personal chefs – are increasingly blamed for straining the finances of the Indian film industry, with some productions reportedly mortgaging property to cover debts. The escalating costs associated with top talent are now seen as a bigger threat to box office success than creative missteps.
the Rising Cost of Stardom
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Bollywood producers are facing a financial crisis driven by the exorbitant expenses of their biggest stars.
- Actor fees now reach up to $22.18 million per film.
- Stars routinely request first-class travel and luxury accommodations.
- Entourages of up to 15 people are commonly billed to production budgets.
- Some producers are calling for partnership-style compensation models.
“It is not so much about production cost – it is more about star fees,” says producer Ramesh Taurani, best known for the successful Race action franchise. Actors are increasingly arriving on set with sizable entourages – makeup artists, hairdressers, stylists, gym trainers, and assistants – all charged to the production’s budget.
The financial burden extends far beyond the headline-grabbing salaries. Stars are routinely requesting first-class travel, stays in five-star hotels, and multiple private trailers throughout the duration of a film shoot. A single trailer can cost as much as $18,000 for the entire production period, and for some, demanding more has become a status symbol. Veteran producer Mukesh Bhatt described the demands as “obnoxious,” adding, “Expansive support teams, premium travel and luxury accommodations often inflate budgets without proportionate creative impact.”
Distributor and trade analyst Raj Bansal noted a shift in expectations. “Earlier, actors wouldn’t mind sharing one vanity van.Then they decided to give one vanity van each to a big star – and demand went on increasing.”
A Post-Pandemic reckoning
Bollywood has always been a high-risk industry, with more films flopping than succeeding. However, producers say the balance has shifted dramatically as star-driven costs spiral beyond enduring box office returns. the pandemic further destabilized the industry, as streaming platforms initially inflated film acquisition prices. When those deals dried up, producers faced a painful correction, with revenues plummeting while actors’ demands remained high.
Competition is also intensifying. “Audience behavior has matured, streaming platforms have broadened horizons and regional cinema has elevated creative standards,” Bhatt explained. “Yet, alongside this progress, rising production costs – particularly talent-driven budgets – have introduced a significant strain. It is not the films that falter, but the economics that loose balance.”
Calls for accountability
Actor-filmmaker Aamir Khan publicly criticized the practice of stars burdening producers with excessive costs. “You earn in crores (tens of millions of rupees),” Khan said in a September interview with the YouTube show Game Changers. “Where’s your self-respect?”
Industry insiders say these demands create a cascading effect, as stars attempt to outdo each other with increasingly extravagant perks.”A measured approach will allow us to redirect resources toward what truly defines cinema – the power of storytelling,” Bhatt said.
Exploring alternative Models
producers are now advocating for partnership-style compensation models, where contributors benefit from a film’s success and share the risk of failure. “When a film thrives, every contributor shoudl benefit,” Bhatt argued. “when it struggles, the weight should not rest solely on the producer, who shoulders risk from the very beginning.”
The 2024 science fiction action film Bade Miyan Chote Miyan (“Big Mister, Little Mister”), starring Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff, reportedly cost around $42 million. Following disappointing ticket sales, producers were reportedly forced to mortgage property to cover debts. However, there have been exceptions. Actor Kartik Aaryan waived his fee for the 2023 action-comedy Shehzada, which also underperformed at the box office. “If your star value and the entire project’s value gives profit to the entire team, I think then the math adds up,” Aaryan said. “If it doesn’t, then you should take a cut.”
Some producers believe the industry needs to confront it’s own excesses. “If the star fee and entourage is affecting your budget, then don’t take stars,” says actor-writer-producer Viveck Vaswani. “I have made 40 films with 40 newcomers and have prospered. I took SRK (Shah Rukh Khan) when nobody wanted him. I cast Raveena Tandon when nobody knew her.” Vaswani, a longtime friend of Khan, added that “SRK has no entourage cost, he pays his own,” as does Akshay Kumar.”Lots of them do that, they don’t burden the producers,” he said. “If you think your star is stronger than your script, you are wrong.”
