One often hears discussions about the cost of entourage for big stars and how it adds to the burden on producers. In a recent interview, veteran producer KC Bokadia slammed actors and their teams for charging exorbitant fees for films. He further gave Amitabh Bachchanrole model and praise the actor for the way he or she behaves. The late 1980s and early 1990s were a challenging phase in Amitabh Bachchan’s career. The superstar returned to movies after quitting movies to enter politics in the mid-1980s, but the huge success he enjoyed in the 1970s didn’t immediately follow. It was during this period that producer KC Bokadia approached him for Aaj Ka Arjun (1990), which later became Bokadia’s directorial debut.Even though Amitabh is no longer at the peak of his box-office dominance, Bokkadia says he remains one of the most respected and dignified stars he has ever worked with. The veteran producer recalled that Amitabh never expected producers to bear the expenses of his personal staff. He said the superstar paid for his own set boy, make-up artist, driver and make-up van, even after becoming the first actor to charge him Rs 1 crore.“Amitabh was the first person in the industry to have understudies, make-up artists, drivers… Even then, he would not charge anything for them. He brought his own van, his driver and I salute people like this. Actors charge crores of rupees, but it doesn’t hurt the producers much, but when you ask an assistant who should get Rs 1,000, he says Rs 10,000.Bokadia contrasted Bachchan’s approach with that of several actors today, claiming that many actors charge exorbitant fees while also expecting producers to bear the expenses of their entourage.“Nowadays, actors charge Rs 500-100 crore… they should be a little generous. Even producers should feel that they are working with someone who has a big heart and is actually worth that much money,” he said, adding, “If you make producers bear unnecessary costs… and you ask them to pay for gym fees in a vanity van, do you think that is something to be proud of?”He further noted that these rising fees are making it increasingly difficult for independent producers to survive. According to him, some producers even end up buying tickets for their own films to increase box office revenue, as increased box office revenue helps negotiate better deals with streaming platforms.Recalling his first meeting with Amitabh, Bokkadia revealed that he was initially told to wait outside the actor’s dressing room for several hours. Instead, the meeting went surprisingly quickly, with Bachchan agreeing to do the film almost immediately.“This is 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, adding, “Bachchan Saab said, ‘This is the first time I’m doing a film where I don’t know the story nor the director.’ I told him, ‘What you can do on screen, what others can do, can’t you do it?After the success of ‘Aaj Ka Arjun’, the two teamed up again for ‘Lal Baadshah’. Looking back on their collaboration, Bokkadia described Amitabh as a performer whose presence on screen was always more important than his physical charisma.“People are very concerned about other things like costumes and so on, but I feel like what you do on screen, that’s where an actor shines,” he said, before adding that Bachchan “is a lion and has always been a lion.”KC Bokadia has produced several notable films over the years, including “Hum Tumhare Hain Sanam”, “Lal Baadshah”, “Aao Pyaar Karen”, “Phool Bane Angaarey”, “Naseeb Apna Apna” and “Teri Meherbaniyan”.
