Bollywood’s top stars are driving production costs sky-high with private trailers, personal chefs, and massive entourages, insiders say. The hefty fees are hiking up production costs and straining the Indian film industry’s already fragile finances.
From fleets of private trailers to personal chefs and sprawling entourages, Bollywood stars’ “obnoxious” demands are driving up production costs and putting a strain on the Indian film industry’s finances, insiders say.
Bollywood has long been unpredictable at the box office, and the pandemic compounded its problems, but producers argue that today’s losses stem less from creative failure and more from top artists’ runaway expenses.
“It is not so much about production cost—it is more about star fees,” says producer Ramesh Taurani, best known for the successful Race action franchise.
Actors, filmmakers say, increasingly arrive on set with a dozen-strong entourage—including makeup artists, hairdressers, stylists, gym trainers, and assistants—all billed to production.
Stars are paid hefty fees of up to $22.18 million per film, but additional requests for first-class travel, five-star hotels, multiple private trailers, and work-shy hours have become routine.
“Expansive support teams, premium travel, and luxury accommodations often inflate budgets without proportionate creative impact,” said veteran producer Mukesh Bhatt. “The kind of demands stars make is obnoxious.”
Distributor and trade analyst Raj Bansal added, “One actor usually comes with 10 to 15 staff members. Earlier, actors wouldn’t mind sharing one vanity van. Then they decided to give one vanity van each to a big star—and demand went on increasing.
A single trailer hired for the duration of a film shoot can cost as much as $18,000. For some actors, insiders say, demanding more has become a status symbol.
Bollywood has always been considered high-risk, producing more flops than hits, but producers say the balance has tipped sharply as star-driven costs spiral beyond what box office returns can sustain.
The fragile model was shaken after the pandemic, when streaming platforms bought films at inflated prices.
When those deals dried up, producers faced a painful course correction as income plunged but actors’ demands stayed elevated. And that problem continues today. Competition has also intensified. AFP
