The rising cost of entourage of stars and the exorbitant fees of actors has been a topic of discussion for a while now, especially because the industry has been suffering since Covid. Now film-maker Rajiv Rai, known for making Kajol, Bobby Deol starrer ‘Gupt’, ‘Tridev’, ‘Mohra’ has weighed in on the matter. Rai didn’t mince words in a recent interview with Bollywood Hungama, where he took aim at the growing trend of exorbitant actor salaries in Bollywood, a system he believes is propped up by corporate producers chasing glamour instead of substance. He said, “Money has become too important here now. Nobody cares about the script.” “I would blame the producers because they are willing to pay. An actor can even quote Rs 1,000 crore. It’s basic demand and supply. Since there’s more money in the market now, everyone’s chasing glamour over substance,” Rai remarked, pointing to a shift in industry priorities. He criticised major studios for putting blind faith in star power, often at the cost of strong storytelling. “They think audiences will show up just because a certain actor is in the film. But glamour doesn’t sell alone. They don’t even bother to look closely at the script,” he added. He highlighted the disconnect between stardom and actual ticket sales and said, “There might be lakhs of fans gathered outside a star’s home, but these same people won’t buy tickets to see their film. They’re not loyal. They won’t open their wallet unless the content connects.” According to Rai, the only fair way to determine an actor’s worth is to tie it directly to performance at the box office. “Here’s how I calculate an actor’s fee: whatever I pay them, they must recover for me on Day 1. If I want to be generous, I’ll give them three days. If I’ve paid Rs 100 crore to an actor, then the film must make that back within three days of release. That’s when they truly deserve the money.” Thus, he quipped that a newcomer Ahaan Panday would fully deserve Rs 100 crore, if he could bring that kind of return on opening. “So, when someone comes to me and asks for ₹10 crore, I simply say: I’ll give you my first day’s collection,” he said.
