The cost of Bollywood stars’ entourage is an issue that has been discussed for a while now. Many industry insiders have complained about how this adds to the film’s budget and is a burden on the producers. The debate gained more momentum after the makers of Chiranjeevi’s Mana Shankara Varu Prasad Garu revealed that while the film was reportedly mounted on a budget of around Rs 200 crore, the actual production cost was only around Rs 25 crore. Reports also claimed that Chiranjeevi’s remuneration alone exceeded Rs 75 crore.Now veteran actor Sudhir Pandey has now weighed in on the discussion, reflecting on the unequal treatment of leading stars and character actors on film sets. He even suggested that the money spent on bottled water to drink during a shoot could be enough to finance a low-budget film.Pandey points out that supporting actors are rarely given vanity vans comparable to those allotted to leading stars. He said in an interview with Siddharth Kannan, “It is very rare for character actors like us to get a big vanity van. Usually, we are given a small one. The stars who come with the whole convoy look very fake and contrived. It seems like a waste of money. If they are spending from their own pocket, that is different. But if the producers are paying for it, then it’s just a waste. The amount of money wasted there is enough for someone to make a small budget film.” He further said, “You won’t believe this, but the amount spent on water in Bisleri is enough to make a small budget film.”When asked if he himself maintains a personal entourage, Pandey explained that he does not. “I don’t have a team. There was a time when I was not well and had to take my meals and medicines on time, so I took a boy with me to help. I paid him myself. A couple of producers offered to bear the cost, but I always told them that if they couldn’t, I would pay.Talking about the difference between stars and supporting actors, Pandey admits that he accepts it as the norm in the industry. “You can’t do anything about it. It’s part of this useless culture—I use the word ‘useless’ deliberately. We claim to be democratic, but we’re far from it. Anyone who reaches a position of power in any field starts dictating terms, and people just follow. You can’t challenge them.”interestingly, Aamir Khan earlier spoke against the same culture of the producer financed by personal expenses and large entourage. Appearing on trade analyst Komal Nahta’s YouTube show Game Changers, Aamir argued that while stars deserve respect, they should never abuse their position by placing unnecessary financial burdens on producers.“Stars deserve respect, but not to the extent that they start troubling the producers,” says Aamir. Recalling the beginning of his career nearly 37 years ago, the actor revealed that he was taken back after discovering that producers often pay for a star’s personal staff.“There is a system where the producer pays for the star’s driver and assistant on the set. I found it strange. I thought, ‘The driver and assistant work for me, so why is the producer paying them?’ If the producer pays my personal staff, does that mean he also pays my children’s school fees? Where does it stop?Aamir explained that he ended the practice for himself right from the beginning.“I believe that producers should only spend on things that are really necessary for the film-makeup, hair, costumes. But how can my personal driver or assistant contribute to the film? They work for me, so it’s my responsibility to pay them, especially if I earn well. From the first day, I made it clear that none of my producers will pay my driver or assistant. It’s been 37 years now.”He also expressed concern over what he believes has become a widespread trend among young actors in the industry.“I’ve heard that stars today don’t even pay their own drivers and instead ask the producers to cover the cost. It doesn’t stop there. The producers also pay their spot boys, trainers and cooks. I even heard that actors now have live kitchens on set and expect the producers to foot the bill. They also ask for more vanity vans—for kitchens, gyms and other purposes.”Questioning the rationale behind such demands, Aamir concluded: “Where do you spend all the money you earn? These stars make crores and still can’t pay for their own needs? I find it very strange. It’s very sad and harmful for the industry. I say this strongly – it’s a shame that even now they have actors who can and are not fair actors like you and not. fair.lifestyle, why do you charge the producer for this why should a producer give you six vanity vans when all you need is one for makeup?
