Explained - Vikram Bhatt, Raj Kumar Gupta and others on the growing entourage costs debate, 'one day you won't be provided those frills because everyone falls'

Farah Khan has been vocal about entourage costs

It was during one of the conversations with actors Dipika Kakar and Shoaib Ibrahim during their house visit that director-choreographer Farah Khan spoke about the rising demands of actors. It has now led to a full fledged debate on the rising entourage costs of actors.

Farah Khan had said in May this year that actors come with 8–9 people to the set of a film and do not step out of their cars unless there are at least four vanity vans for them on the set.

She had said, "Nowadays, people don't work without a vanity van. One person needs four vans. One is for the gym, one is for the staff, one is for them, and one is for the food truck, which is separate. Earlier, heroines would change behind a bush or a bus, but today nobody steps out of their car unless the van is there."

In another interview too, Farah said that she wants to reduce the entertainment cost.

MoneyControl also spoke with producer director Vikram Bhatt recently, and he was also of the view that it is a choice that a producer makes, and if he is ok with it, they go ahead, but he doesn't want them, and he doesn't encourage it either.

"I think it's a choice that the producer makes. We don't want them, so we don't, you know, pay that price. It's part of the it's part of the plus plus plus plus that you pay. I mean, if it's like if you want a luxury car, then you pay for, you know, your luxury tax, and you pay everything plus plus. So, if you want a certain actor, You pay plus plus," he told MoneyControl.

Vikram said his real worry is that the actors think that this entourage or the number of people they come with is what makes them 'stars'.

Also Read: Actor Gulshan Devaiah backs Anurag Kashyap's comment on entourage costs, says, "It’s important to understand why this situation exists"

"But what I'm really worried about is all these other actors or the stars who think that this entourage is what makes them stars. Because their validity comes with access and the excess. But if you are going to gauge your stardom by the frills that are being provided to you, then one day you will not be provided those frills because everyone falls. And on that day, you will think you are not a star. And that would be unfortunate for you because you put yourself into that hole," he added.

Earlier, when MoneyControl spoke with Raj Kumar Gupta on the rising entourage cost, he told us that from the budget point of view, everybody needs to think about making films without any hinderance.

"From a producer point of view, they will know about problems from their angle. I personally have never felt that because primarily I have been director on the set. But as an industry generally everybody is coming to budget. From a budget point of view, everybody is saying that the budget needs to come down overall in filmmaking to make more films. To get the film in the budget. Everybody is talking about the fact that the films don't fail and the budget fails. If veterans are coming out and saying it, then as an industry we need to pay heed to that. Why are budgets not coming in control? We have to make movies together. If producers don't make money, then they will make films. So it is something that we all need to think about," said Raj Kumar Gupta.

Recently, many actors, producers, and directors have come forward to speak their side on the growing entourage costs.

Anil Sharma, who had directed Gadar and Gadar 2, said the actors have the audacity to increase their entourage cost at a time when the films aren't working. He said only South films are going housefull and Bollywood actors 'aren't able to get even a Saturday or Sunday housefull.'

"Actors have the audacity to increase their entourage costs at a time when their films aren’t even working in theaters. Actors ki itni value hi nahi reh gayi ab ki public unko dekhne aaye,” he told HT.

What is entourage cost?

Entourage cost comes with a star—the actor comes with hair, a make-up person, their trainer, a dietician—and the bill is routed to the producer. This is where the entire cost of the movie also goes up.

According to a report in Indian Express, the star and his team will order vegan food from a high-end restaurant, and the 'production is handed over the bill of Rs 15000 for one meal.'

An industry source told Indianexpress.com that 'all that a producer is praying for is to keep additional costs in check.'

Trade analyst Komal Nahta had also revealed in one of the interviews that Akshay Kumar charged over Rs 100 cr for Bade Miyan Chote Miyan while Tiger Shroff had charged Rs 35- 40 cr—a figure that burdened the film. So the burden eventually falls on the producer.

Screenwriters say that the majority of the 'film's budget is taken away by the star and his entourage.'

A screenwriter was shocked to know that a female lead actor's entourage cost was Rs 16 lakhs a day. "I am still struggling to get that money for an entire film. When you are always trying to get enough money to survive, you can’t ever write in peace. Only a few are writing those big budget movies; the rest of us are writing to survive,' the writer told Indian Express.

What celebs have to say? 

Ever since this debate started in public, many stars, producers, and directors have come out in public. Actors like Samir Soni blame Farah and Karan Johar for the 'trend'. He told TOI during an interview: "All I’d like to say to Karan and Farah is that if you think the expenses are rising, you are the ones who are paying for all of it. You can’t be signing a big star for Rs 100 crore and then say that these guys take a lot of money. Kuch kami toh aap mein bhi hai (There are some shortcomings in you, too). Because otherwise, there are people who will work for ₹1 crore also and for ₹50 lakh also. You’ve done this!” said the actor.

Talking about the entire entourage discussion, Manoj Bajpayee recently said he doesn't travel with a large team and that he has had almost the same team for the past 25 years.

Also Read: Farah Khan believes celebrities needs to control entourage costs in the industry, says, 'That is a waste of resources'

“I don’t travel with a large entourage. My team has been with me for 25 years, and I receive the same perks I always have. In some films, there are no vans, and we accept that because our passion is to make the film. We work within a medium budget. For Joram, there were no vans or additional facilities during most of the shoot," he told News 18.

During the trailer launch of Kill, producer director Karan Johar had also spoken about the rising cost.

Karan spoke about the actors with higher costs and said it makes it "impossible to mount the film."

"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."

Recently, Taapsee said when I worked with Shah Rukh Khan, I didn't see a village walking in; I have seen one make-up, one hair, one spotboy, and one bodyguard. I haven't seen in my films. I am sure there are. I monitor the cost of my entourage. It is not that it isn't my department; then I will not get into it. At the end of the day, my name is going to get spoiled. I keep telling my team, Ki mere naam ka bill fatega. I make sure what is my entourage's budget and where it is going," she told HT recently during an interview.

Like the nepotism debate in the past, the entourage cost debate is here to say, and many actors are coming out to defend themselves while producers and directors have their story to tell. So it is time that the industry itself understands and realizes what is best for them on the whole.