JOIN OUR WHATSAPP CHANNEL
Did Alia Bhatt, Kareena Kapoor and Vidya Balan reduce their fees for Udta Punjab and Ishqiya? Abhishek Chaubey reveals
Abhishek Chaubey, director of Udta Punjab and Ishqiya, reveals how stars like Alia Bhatt, Kareena Kapoor, and Vidya Balan took a pay cut for their roles. Find out more inside!
Filmmaker Abhishek Chaubey recently opened up about his experience with small-scale films and revealed how the stars of Ishqiya and Udta Punjab agreed to work for less than their usual market rates. According to him, despite these films not being overly low-budget, the actors Vidya Balan, Naseeruddin Shah, Arshad Warsi, Shahid Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Kareena Kapoor Khan, and Diljit Dosanjh chose to take a pay cut.
At the International Film Festival of India (IFFI), Abhishek Chaubey shared his insights during a session titled Micro to Millions: Low Budget Films Becoming Blockbusters. He mentioned that when directing films like Ishqiya (starring Vidya Balan, Naseeruddin Shah, and Arshad Warsi) and Udta Punjab (starring Shahid Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Kareena Kapoor, and Diljit Dosanjh), he was able to keep costs in check.
He said, "When I directed films like Ishqiya and Udta Punjab, relatively not very small films, the stars in these films did not charge within quotes of their market rates. They all worked for less money."
Abhishek reflected on his journey of working on low-budget films, starting with his first project, Makdee, which had a modest budget of Rs 40 lakh. He recalled how his time with Vishal Bhardwaj in 2002 taught him the value of cost control and discipline.
Despite the constraints, he learned that tightening the budget and maintaining discipline were key to making successful films. The filmmaker also shared his experience of witnessing wastage while working on big-budget Bollywood projects, attributing some of it to directors and stars.
His time as an assistant director made him appreciate the importance of efficiency and discipline in filmmaking. As a producer, Chaubey's main goal has been to create films that align with his own tastes. He expressed a desire to make films that he personally would enjoy, something he felt was often lacking in mainstream cinema.
Through his production company, MacGuffin Pictures, he produced A Death in the Gunj, a film made on a tight budget of Rs 4-4.5 crore.
Abhishek recounted the challenges of shooting the film in Jharkhand with a small team and producing partner Studioz IDream, who had returned to filmmaking after a decade. Despite its modest budget, the film made a profit, highlighting Chaubey's knack for balancing creativity and financial constraints.
Latest Articles
