MAKERS MUSTN'T FACE LOSSES: AAMIR KHAN
His ‘first rupee’ comes after the film’s cost is fully recovered, reveals actorproducer Aamir Khan
Superstars are often accused of charging exorbitant sums for working in a movie but Aamir Khan says he has a different model. If the film fails, he gets nothing and if it is successful, he has a high profit share. The actor says he ensures that his producers earn money, as it helps secure his career.
“I think the script is the foundation. I ensure that once I love the story and the film is in the making, people who are investing money should not face loss. I don’t allow the producer to shoulder the responsibility alone,” says Aamir.
Furthermore, the actor explains that he does not charge money until the film has recovered its costs, promotions budget, and the producers have earned their share of profit.
He says, “My first rupee comes to me when the film’s cost is recovered in every aspect... after the producer’s and everybody else’s money is recovered. That’s the model I work with, and I take a higher cut in the percentage because I am risking my time on that, and I think producers are happy with that too.”
According to Mr Perfectionist, it is the best business model because if the investors aren’t facing losses, they’ll approach him again for work. “If the producer is not losing money, it is but obvious that he will sign me for the next film. That is why I always ensure that if I am signed in a film, there is no loss.”
The 53-year-old actor shares that he first tried this model with Lagaan in 2001. “That film was one of the expensive films of that time and was breaking a lot of rules of mainstream Indian cinema... and that is why I felt the importance of taking the responsibility. When I come on board, producers and financiers do not question me on the subject I chose for the film because they trust me, they have faith in me. That is why I want to ensure the profit,” he says.