One often hears a discussion on the entourage costs of big stars and how it adds a burden on the produer. In a recent interview, veteran producer KC Bokadia has slammed actors who charge big money for a film and their teams. He further gave Amitabh Bachchan’s example and lauded the actor for the way he conducts himself. The late 1980s and early 1990s were a challenging phase in Amitabh Bachchan’s career. After stepping away from films to enter politics in the mid-1980s, the superstar returned to cinema, but the massive success he had enjoyed during the 1970s didn’t immediately follow. It was during this period that producer KC Bokadia approached him for ‘Aaj Ka Arjun’ (1990), a film that went on to become Bokadia’s directorial debut.Despite Amitabh no longer being at the peak of his box office dominance, Bokadia says he remained one of the most respectful and dignified stars he had ever worked with. The veteran producer recalled that Amitabh never expected producers to bear the expenses of his personal staff. He said that the superstar paid for his own spot boy, make-up artist, driver and vanity van, even after becoming the first actor to charge him a fee of Rs 1 crore. “Amitabh was the first person in the industry whose spot boy, make-up man, driver… He wouldn’t take any money for them, even back then. He brought his own van, his driver and I salute people like that. Actors charge crores of rupees but that doesn’t hurt the producer that much but when you ask for Rs 10,000 for an assistant who should be getting Rs 1,000… You think we are fools?” he said.Bokadia contrasted Bachchan’s approach with that of several present-day actors, claiming that many charge hefty fees while also expecting producers to cover the costs of their entourages.“Now, actors charge Rs 50-100 crore… They should be a little generous. Even the producer should feel like they are working with someone who has a big heart and actually deserves this much money,” he said and added, “If you burden the producer with unnecessary cost… You ask them to pay for a gym in vanity vans, and you think this is something to be proud of?”He further argued that these rising expenses have made it increasingly difficult for independent producers to survive. According to him, some producers even end up purchasing tickets for their own films to inflate box office collections, as stronger numbers help secure better deals with streaming platforms.Reflecting on his first meeting with Amitabh, Bokadia revealed that he had initially been told he would have to wait outside the actor’s make-up room for hours. Instead, the meeting turned out to be surprisingly quick, with Bachchan agreeing to do the film almost immediately.“It was my first film as a director. He didn’t even listen to the story. I didn’t even have a story, and he said yes to ‘Aaj Ka Arjun’,” he said and added, “Bachchan saab said, ‘This is the first time I am doing a film where I neither know the story nor the director’. I told him, ‘What you can do on screen can’t be done by anyone else, and if I don’t have you, then what will I do with a story that works for you?’”Following the success of ‘Aaj Ka Arjun’, the duo reunited for ‘Lal Baadshah’. Looking back on their collaborations, Bokadia described Amitabh as a performer whose on-screen presence has always mattered more than external glamour.“People are so bothered about other things, like costumes, etc., but I feel what you do on screen, that is where the actor shines,” he said, before adding that Bachchan “is a lion, and has always been one.”Over the years, KC Bokadia has produced several notable films, including ‘Hum Tumhare Hain Sanam’, ‘Lal Baadshah’, ‘Aao Pyaar Karen’, ‘Phool Bane Angaarey’, ‘Naseeb Apna Apna’ and ‘Teri Meherbaniyan’. Go to Source
