JOIN OUR WHATSAPP CHANNEL
Manoj Bajpayee feels those complaining about rising entourage costs make films with stars: ‘You can’t expect them to lower their fees…’
Manoj Bajpayee recently turned producer with Bhaiyaa Ji and shared his views on the discussion around exorbitant fees and entourage demands.
Manoj Bajpayee is an actor par excellence who has proved his prowess in acting with several path-breaking roles. Adding another feather to his cap, he turned producer with his recently released film, Bhaiyaa Ji. Meanwhile, there has been constant discussion about the rise in entourage costs of stars leading to financial challenges for the film's production unit. Sharing his two cents on the same, Manoj talked about his experience and the solution to deal with such a situation.
Manoj Bajpayee says he doesn't travel with large entourage
While speaking to News 18 Showsha, Manoj Bajpayee who has now ventured into production with Bhaiyaa Ji extensively shared his views on the topic of exorbitant fees and entourage demands of major stars. The versatile actor cited his own example and experience and shared that he doesn’t travel with a large entourage and that his team has been the same for the past 25 years.
He revealed that he receives the same perks he always had. The actor went on to mention that there are some films where there are no vans, but they still do the film because of their passion for filmmaking. Adding to his point, Manoj revealed that they had no vans or additional facilities during most of the shoot of Joram.
Manoj Bajpayee calls the discussion on rising entourage costs 'contradictory'
Calling the discussion “a little contradictory,” he observed that the producers who complain are often making films with stars, considering that they "will secure a larger budget for a grand film." He continued by expressing his belief, “A big star comes with their own set of perks, so you can’t expect them to lower their fees or perks to fit your budget.”
Manoj Bajpayee proposes private discussions with the stars on such matter
Bajpayee continued by pointing out that producers who wish to influence a star’s popularity by adhering to a strict budget must engage in private discussions. According to him, films are made keeping the star’s market value in consideration.
“If you want to use the star’s appeal but keep the budget low, you need to negotiate directly with the star. Public complaints won’t solve the problem. Only a private discussion will help you find a compromise. No one has asked me to cut my fees because they’re already reasonable. We complete a film in 35–40 days, and everyone is satisfied,” he said.
When Karan Johar slammed stars with high entourage cost
It is worth mentioning that earlier this year during the trailer launch of Kill, veteran filmmaker Karan Johar raised concern on the rising cost. He stated that actors should understand exactly how the times are, how the climate of the movies are, and how tough it is to operate while making a massive motion picture of any magnitude in size.
KJo criticized the actors with higher costs, revealing that there are so many above-the-line costs that make it "impossible to mount the film." He highlighted how a single movie star must review what they are asking for because often there will be certain producers that will pay that money because they want to make that film. However, he asserted that it will eventually cause a lot of damage to the entire system and the ecosystem.
Taking a sly dig at high-cost actors, he said on a concluding note, "They have to look at that and say there can be back and deals, percentage of profit, and slabs of box office as per performance-based remuneration. All that is possible, but every actor has to really look within because a lot of them are not really in touch with reality."
Latest Articles
