Karan Johar opened up recently about the friendship he shares with actors in the industry and whether it helps in getting reasonable deals when collaborating with them. The filmmaker said that actors are ‘good and lovely’ only in parties but everyone just means business ultimately. However, with the exception of Shah Rukh Khan.
During a conversation with Komal Nahta on his YouTube channel, Game Changers, Karan spoke about actor’s fees and said, “If an actor is a massive star, he deserves a fat fee but then, he should also participate in the profit model. It could be in terms of box office performance or profit percentage. If an actor will front load a film with a high budget, then recovery becomes difficult. The scenario at present is unpredictable. Sometimes, a big film bombs and at times, a small film explodes at the box office. Kuch bhi ho sakta hai. Hence, a big star should charge a big price and rightfully so. At the same time, he should also have a skin in the game.”
He added, “No actor says that ‘My last 2 films haven’t worked. So, I’ll return some amount of money from the fees that you paid me’. Wapas toh koi deta nahin hai. Sab lete hi hai. Koi deta toh hai nahin (No one gives it back, everyone just takes it)!”
When asked if his friendship with actors helps him in getting reasonable deals, Karan revealed, “I have never benefited from my friendship with actors. Actors are good and lovely during parties, but everyone means business. The only exception is Shah Rukh Khan. He’s everything for me – collaborator, friend, bhai. He’s the only actor who has never talked money with me. He never talked about it with my father (Yash Johar). He says, ‘Whatever you want, send the paper and I’ll sign it’. When I go as a director, he has not even heard the script. I just tell him, ‘Bhai, I am directing this film’. He’ll tell me, ‘Ok. These are my dates’. When asked about fees, he’ll say, ‘Whatever you want to pay’.”
Karan’s last directorial, Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani recently won the National Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment.