Siddharth Roy Kapur cites Saiyaara, Kantara Chapter 1 as proof Bollywood can thrive without big names: "If someone’s going to pay them..."

Siddharth Roy Kapur reacts to Saiyaara success

Siddharth Roy Kapur, a veteran producer and former president of the Producers Guild of India, has recently shared his insights on the actor’s fees and their effects on the sustainability of the industry.

During his recent appearance on the Game Changers podcast, Siddharth acknowledged that it is difficult for A-list celebrities to charge exorbitant fees. He also clarified that the true answer is to innovate the business model rather than pressure them to lower their rates.

He said, “If you take Hollywood as an example, in the 1990s, the prices of Tom Cruise, Julia Roberts, and Tom Hanks had reached $20 million each. What did the studios do at that time? They went to franchises and things that didn’t need stars. And they built their own IPs that are not star-dependent. I believe that’s also very important for us.”

Siddharth cited Mohit Suri's romantic drama Saiyaara, which starred newcomers Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda and brought in over Rs 350 crore domestically, as one of this year's biggest surprise hits.

“Your star fees weren’t required there because you weren’t dependent on them," he noted.

He also mentioned other non-star films like Kantara: Chapter 1, which is still the highest-grossing film at the box office with Rs 579 crore and counting, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Infinity Castle (Rs 88 crore in India), and Mahavatar Narsimha (Rs 250 crore).

He elaborated, “The audience is telling us that if you give us good content without stars, then we don’t need stars either.”

Siddharth also asserts that it is the responsibility of producers and studios to strike a balance between content-driven and star-driven filmmaking.

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The film producer noted, “Rather than getting into why stars aren’t reducing their prices… if someone’s going to pay them, they’re going to take that price. Who’s going to say no? Our focus should be on how we make films which aren’t star-dependent.”

He went on to say that some movies are better off without star power, while others actually require it.

From Pihu and Yeh Ballet to The Sky Is Pink and Deva, Siddharth's own production company, Roy Kapur Films, has supported both star-driven and non-star projects.