Bollywood stars are often slammed for charging huge fees, making big demands, and showing up with large entourages, especially when many big films are flopping. Some blame the actors, others blame studios for allowing it. Now, Aamir Khan has joined the bandwagon and criticized these habits, calling them a shame.
Looking back at the old system
On Komal Nahta’s YouTube show Game Changers, Aamir looked back at how things worked in the past. He said that while star power is important and audiences love seeing stars, earlier there was a system where producers would even pay for the star’s driver and spot boy. Aamir felt it was unfair since they were working for him, not the producer.
Why Aamir prefers being independent
The superstar went on to say that he has always preferred being independent. He didn’t like producers covering personal costs like paying his driver or staff, joking that by that logic they might as well pay for his child’s school too. According to him, a producer should only spend on what the film actually needs—like the makeup artist, hairdresser, or costume team—not on people working directly for the actor.He also called today’s trends “dangerous for the industry.” He said he’s shocked that producers now cover costs like an actor’s driver, helper, even personal cooks. Some stars even bring separate vans for cooking or gym, all paid for by the producer. Aamir argued that if actors are earning in crores, they should pay for their own staff. For him, being a true team player means not adding extra burden to the film.
What producers should really pay for
Aamir also explained that producers should only cover expenses linked to the film, like training needed for a role. For example, during his wrestling film, the producer paid for the training. But he said it’s unreasonable to expect them to pay for personal luxuries like a cook. According to him, if an actor can afford such things, they should pay from their own pocket instead of passing the cost to the producer.Khan shared his own example, saying that whenever he takes his family along for outdoor shoots, he covers the expenses himself and never asks the producer to pay. He added that many stars today misuse their position and put extra costs on producers, which he finds unfair and disappointing.
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‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source timesofindia.indiatimes.com ’
