Actor Imran Khan, who was recently seen on the big screen after a decade in a cameo in Happy Patel: Khataranak Jasoos, is gearing up for his next project with Bhumi Pednekar, helmed by Break Ke Baad filmmaker Danish Aslam. In a recent interview, Imran, who is also producing the film, rued about the rising film budgets because of the exorbitant fees charged by film stars. While the actor acknowledged that casting is done on the basis of how much can actor can pull audiences into the theatres, he raised concerns over how some stars are exploiting the system. He also backed the profit-sharing model, used by his uncle Aamir Khan and others stars like Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan, where actors take a small, one-time fee and later take a fixed percentage of profits from the film.
In a conversation with ETimes, Imran said, “I believe that increasingly we have reached a place where stars exploit the system. What I was taught by my uncle, by Aamir. And I have seen in the generation that preceded me, in fact, the several generations that preceded me, is that they would themselves invest in the film. I don’t mean that they are opening their wallet and putting money into the film, but there’s a sense of taking personal responsibility and ownership of the film.”
“If I have a sense that my film is going to cost 30 crores to make, that’s your cost of production. And I say I will charge 40 crores. So now your film costs 70 crores—Rs 30 crore of which is the actual film and Rs 40 crore is my personal salary. What is now our route to profitability? And do I care about that? I should care about it. It’s my film. I think that there is the potential for this film to be a decent film, take less money up front. Roll the dice. Take a gamble and bet that the film will do well. If anyone can afford to do that, it’s the star, if you’re commanding a salary of Rs 40 crore,” he added.
He also praised Aamir’s approach as a model for responsibility and faith in a film.
He continued that actors feel ‘who knows what kind of garbage you’re going to make. Give me my money, get out of my way. I got my money, now who cares about the film?’. Imran said anyone who is in a starring position, upon whose back a film is being funded and financed, if they are not in the position of enough financial security to gamble on the success and the quality of the film, then who else will?
Recently, there has been a lot of criticism against Hindi film stars for charging amounts more than the budget of the entire film and thus burdening the production. Karan Johar has spoken about it and even Aamir, in an interview with journalist Komal Nahta last year, criticised actors expecting producers to foot the bill for personal staff, live kitchens, trainers, and multiple vanity vans.
“I hear that stars of today also don’t care to pay their drivers. They ask their producers to pay them… Where are you spending all the money you are earning?” It is extremely sad and harmful for the industry. When you can afford a lifestyle for yourself, why are you putting that on a producer?,” he said. “As an actor, it is my duty to make sure that the production house is not burdened because of me. Every team player should think this. You are all working for the film, be a team.”
