DOWNSIZING: THE WAY FORWARD IN BOLLYWOOD
Tighter budgets, featuring pay cuts for all including A-listers, appear to be the industry’s only hope now
The Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent nationwide lockdown hit the entertainment industry hard. Now as it looks at the way forward, the overall feeling is downsizing in every aspect is what will help minimise further losses.
PAY CUTS LIKELY
Filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar feels producers have to cut budgets, starting by slashing remunerations of actors, in all announced and upcoming projects. “There will be negotiations in terms of budget. I’ve seen actors who hike their price after a couple of hit films. Now the case is totally different. Everyone wants to work, so the economic dynamism has to change,” he shares.
Trade analyst Atul Mohan points out that the chunk of the budget of a film goes in paying actors. “There are no returns, so producers have to cut down. Actors will have to understand that since they take a good amount of upfront fees, they will have to compromise for the sake of the films,” he explains.
CREW CUT
Cutting down on the number of people on a film set is another way to ease the burden on producers. Actor Rakul Preet Singh says it has to be the top option initially at least. “I think people have ended up becoming more productive due to the homework culture. Some films will be able to manage with a smaller set, while some have huge sets like my film Indian 2. I don’t know how they will minimize crew there. For my Hindi film with Arjun [Kapoor] we will be able to manage with a smaller crew,” she says.
Mohan adds the celebrity entourage culture has to end in such a crisis as they also burn a hole in the producer’s pocket.
“Some actors have 10 people with them whose daily payment has to be taken care of by the producer. This is an
unnecessary burden on the producer, who has to pay up to ₹50 lakh for the entourage of one actor for the whole shoot,” he says.
OTHER ASPECTS
With as many as three films lined up for release this year including Indoo Ki Jawani and Satyameva Jayate 2, producer Monisha Advani feels she will have to exercise financial prudence. “It has been over 100 days since we saw any income, and that is the case for most production houses, artistes, technicians. I’m encouraging working from home as it may control overheads which can be used to pay salaries,” she says.
Producer Anand Pandit, who has two films lined up for release — Chehre and The Big Bull — says for future films, he intends to opt for domestic shoots. “We’ve put all foreign shoot plans on hold. As far as a film’s marketing costs are concerned, I haven’t taken a call because a lot will depend on what is allowed once the restrictions are eased,” he says.
The pricing has to be considered and there will a rollback in everyone’s cheque, from the very top to the bottom. MADHUR BHANDARKAR FILMMAKER
We should load our business less to last longer. I am encouraging working from home as it may control overheads which can be diverted to pay salaries. MONISHA ADVANI PRODUCER