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The death of rom-coms in Bollywood and the general decrease in soft mid-sized films can be linked to a menace that is plaguing the industry from all quarters: the rising entourage cost. Filmmaker Kunal Kohli, who has been making movies for over two decades, explains that there has been a steady decline in the power a director holds today in mounting films, as it is now often dictated by the “approval” of those people who orbit around a star– the entourage.
After consecutive failures of big-ticket films like Ajay Devgn’s Maidaan and Akshay Kumar-Tiger Shroff fronted Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, the Hindi film industry is seeing a renewed spotlight on the exorbitant fees actors are charging and, especially, the entourage cost, which burden a production.
Kunal Kohli, known for helming films like Hum Tum and Fanaa, opened up to Indianexpress.com about the rising power of entourage, which now virtually dictates an actor’s film choices. “Earlier, there used to be a joke on sets that the heroine’s mother has to say yes but today it is the actor’s crew, which has to say yes. The entourage has to say yes– which includes everyone, from the managers, agents, makeup men, hairdressers. That whole entourage has to first agree and then the actor (says yes). That’s the reason why.. Look at the films we are making, are we even surprised?”
The filmmaker said the big difference in the industry today is that a film is no longer made with the “confidence of a director”, but by the “approval of an actor.”
“That is a huge paradigm shift in the content that is being made. The actor is the deciding factor, whether you get the budget, get a producer or whether you get to make your film. It is all dependent on them, which wasn’t the case earlier, where the director would decide the kind of films he wanted to make, and he would make it.
“Today, unfortunately, very few directors can do that. Maybe just a Sanjay Leela Bhansali, rest everyone else has to wait for that nod from the actor. That is also sometimes not just dependent on what you have done, what your past is but on multiple other factors. Their reference points are not Indian cinema.”
Kunal, who worked with top stars of the industry, from Aamir Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Kareena Kapoor to Rani Mukerji, said he feels a “tinge of wonderment” as to why the industry is not making romantic dramas or comedies anymore.
“I think I know the answer. The thing is, our heroes want films with their version of heroism, whereas one of the biggest ways to be a hero is to win the love of a strong woman. Which is what Aamir, Shah Rukh, Salman, Akshay and Ajay did in their early careers and that’s what made them what they are. But the new guys need to realise that. That is when we can start making these films again.”
An Indianexpress.com report had shed light on the menace of entourage cost, which are inflating budgets and risking a film’s recovery. The price breakup for the entourage of a star varies, but on average, a spot boy would charge Rs 25,000 per day, personal security would charge Rs 15,000 per head per day and a stylist can charge up to Rs 1 lakhs. The overhead cost of a star amounts to Rs 20-22 lakhs per day, which for a film shot over 70 days, would be additional cost of Rs 15-20 cr.
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