RAJEEV KHANDELWAL POKES HOLES IN KARAN JOHAR’S COMMENTS ABOUT ASTRONOMICAL STAR FEES: ‘WHO CREATED THESE MONSTERS?’
Actor Rajeev Khandelwal opened up about Karan Johar's recent comments on movie stars charging more money than they can justify with results. Rajeev and Karan recently worked together on the Disney+ Hotstar series Showtime, which deals with the inner workings of the Hindi film industry. In an interview, Rajeev, who plays an egotistical movie star in Showtime, said that people like Karan have helped create an ecosystem where an actor feels like they can charge massive amounts and get away with it.
Chatting with Siddharth Kannan, Rajeev also addressed the practice of corporate bookings and inflated box office numbers, and said that there is a nuance to attaching box office value to certain people, because most major movies are released on thousands of screens, and wouldn't deliver the same results if they were released in a limited capacity.
Asked about Karan Johar's recent comments about certain actors who charge Rs 35 crore but struggle to deliver Rs 3.5 crore openings, Rajeev said, "But who agreed to give them the Rs 35 crore in the first place? If not Rs 35 crore, someone must've given them Rs 30 crore. Was it you yourself who used to give them Rs 25 crore? Till the time when Rs 25 crore was working for you, it was fine, but now that it's not, you're coming out and complaining about high salaries. Who spoiled them? You created these monsters."
Rajeev continued, "And they probably did it for their own profits. They must've wanted to lock certain people in with multi-film deals, sell digital and satellite rights, and seen an on-paper profit. Why wouldn't they pay those stars what they wanted. But now, when the model isn't working because satellite and streaming aren't yielding the same results, the same model is pinching you? Who created these monsters?"
Rajeev also pointed out the nuances of exhibition, and said that Karan neglected to mention the strings need to be pulled for even a low Rs 3 crore opening. Citing the example of his breakout movie Aamir, Rajeev said, "For a movie to get a Rs 3 crore opening, it's important to understand that it was probably released in 3000 screens. People point out that Aamir didn't even make Rs 1 crore on its first day, but it was playing in only 250 screens. There's a big difference. Release those stars' films in 250 screens and see how much business they do... You're giving a Rs 5 crore opening for a Rs 100 crore budget film that's playing in 300 screens with 10% occupancy. People don't understand, the narrative is so bad these days."
Rajeev also dismissed the practice of corporate bookings to boost box office numbers, and said, "Your greed will eventually lead to your downfall. This is what has happened to our industry. Corporate bookings are so common, people are booking out cinemas for their own films. If I'm charging Rs 10 crore, I'll simply say, 'Buy tickets worth Rs 3 crore, at least I'll earn Rs 7 crore. At least I'll have the stamp of having delivered a Rs 3 crore opening'."
In a recent interview with Faye D'Souza, Karan had spoken about the economics of mounting a film, and the current state of the Hindi film industry. He said, "There are about 10 viable actors in Hindi cinema, and they are all asking for the sun, moon, and earth. So, you pay them; then you pay for the film, and then the marketing expenditure comes. And then your film doesn’t do the numbers. Those movie stars asking for Rs 35 crore are opening to Rs 3.5 crore. How’s that math working? How do you manage all this?"
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2024-07-26T08:47:17Z dg43tfdfdgfd