The rising cost of hair and makeup in Bollywood has become a growing concern, with many producers worried about how it’s affecting film budgets. According to reports, while a film’s writer may earn around ₹10–12 lakh, the hair and makeup expenses alone can go as high as ₹5–10 crore. The surge is largely due to the high demands of HMU (Hair, Makeup, and Upholstery) teams that travel with top stars, often requiring first-class tickets and five-star stays. The entourage costs of stars is a huge topic of discussion at the moment, as it only adds pressure to the industry and producers. In a recent interview, celebrity hairstylist Aalim Hakim has reflected on it. He revealed that the more the value of the actor, the higher the fees of his entourage. Aalim Hakim told SCREEN, “Mostly, in the industry, what people do is increase their fees based on the value of the actor. If someone is a superstar, then their entourage’s fees will be high, and if another star doesn’t have that much box-office pull, their entourage will be cheaper. But I personally feel you should charge the same fees for everybody, whether it’s a superstar or a newcomer. When you buy an iPhone, the price remains the same for both the rich and the poor. So why does an entourage double or triple their fees once their star delivers a Rs 500 crore hit? As if they themselves delivered a Rs 500 crore hit! A star can increase their own fees, but the staff should get just a 5–10% hike every year, like it happens in the corporate sector.”He further added, “Whoever is doing such things is doing wrong. I have never done such a thing in my life. We have a standardized price for every actor; that’s why we have survived for so long and our reputation is so strong. Because we have never quoted an unethical amount. Things get ugly when someone quotes an unethical price. It bad-mouths the profession.”Aalim is currently working on several big-ticket projects, including Siddharth Anand’s ‘King’, Atlee’s upcoming film with Allu Arjun, Nitesh Tiwari’s ‘Ramayan’, Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s ‘Love and War’, and S.S. Rajamouli’s next global action epic.
