Ashneer Grover has taken a swipe at Bollywood’s top-billed actors, calling them “overvalued” for charging exorbitant fees even when their films underperform at the box office. In an interview with Bollywood Bubble, the entrepreneur and former Shark Tank India judge compared the inflated valuation of film stars to that of startup founders, arguing that actors should back their own stardom with equity instead of hefty "salaries" that run into hundreds of crores.
When asked who is more overvalued — Bollywood actors or startup founders — Grover responded, “I think all the superstars are overvalued in the sense that if you think that the film is working because of you, then why are you charging a fee? You should have equity, right?”
He added, “I get surprised when people say this superstar is charging Rs 40 crore, that one is charging Rs 50–80–100 crore, and the film made Rs 20 crore. What do they think they are doing? You should have faith in your own stardom and say that when my film makes money, I will make money.”
On becoming a viral sensation: 'It came as a surprise'
Grover, who is currently hosting Rise and Fall, a web reality show streaming on Amazon MX Player, recalled his experience shooting for the first season of Shark Tank India and becoming a viral sensation thereafter, largely due to his one-liners.
“You know, (the shooting went on) over a long weekend, 12 hours a day. Then you start realising, ki boss, this is about conserving your energy. So I just decided to stick to one-liners instead of narrating stories. And somehow those lines were getting picked up.”
He added that the viral popularity of his quotes came as a surprise: “I never thought it will become so big, very frankly. It came as a surprise to me as well, but a pleasant surprise.”
On becoming a meme: ‘You can’t overanalyse it’
Grover also addressed the viral memes and social media buzz around his persona. “Ya, I have seen those a lot. What to do now? Sometimes it’s just the timing of it, which is right. We have a viral meme culture and people found something refreshing coming out of a business person on TV. So ya, it just worked. You can’t overanalyse it.”
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