EXCLUSIVE: Bhushan Kumar on actors demanding high fees: Why should we suffer loss, while you earn huge amount?

A few days ago, head of Dharma Productions Karan Johar opened up about Bollywood actors hiking their fees amidst the pandemic despite their films not doing well. He said that younger actors demand 30- 35 crores, without proving themselves at the box office first. Now recently, in a conversation with Pinkvilla, T-Series head and producer Bhushan Kumar shared his views about the actors’ fees being in sync with the budget of the movie. He said that while most actors understand the market and charge fees accordingly, there are some actors who are rigid and adamant about their high fees, in which case, producers choose not to work with them.

Bhushan Kumar shares his view on the rising actor fees

In the third episode of Behind The Scenes (BTS), producer Bhushan Kumar opened up about his thoughts on actors’ fees amid the pandemic, as well as the post-pandemic world. He shared that many people have suffered massive losses in big films, and that it is not fair for the producers to suffer such huge losses, while actors earn a whopping amount. He said that most actors understand this, however, there are still some who refuse to budge on the fees they quote. “So abhi tak toh jin logo se hum baat kar rahe hain, they are talking positively. They are understanding the market. They are not saying ‘nahi, hum understand nahi karenge market ko’,” said Bhushan Kumar.

However, he added, “Lekin abhi still some actors are there, who say ki ‘nahi, hum toh itna hi lenge, warna nahi karenge.’ Toh hum unke saath nahi kar rahe. Hum unko bol rahe hain, ‘mat karo, we also don’t want to do.’ Hum nuksaan ke liye kyu karenge? So many people have suffered losses in big films and we have seen that. So why we should give you money and we suffer loss, and you earn such a big amount? Ki aap 20 crore, 25 crore lelo and hum nuksaan kare film.”

Bhushan Kumar on a win-win situation

Bhushan Kumar said that everyone wants a win-win situation, wherein the actors and producers can both benefit. He said that if the fees of the actor justifies the budget, then they have no problem giving it. “In which we are also earning, the project is also safe, the project is not becoming heavy. But jahaa pe project aapka cost itni cost nahi le sakta, waha pe hum actors se baat kar rahe hai,” said Bhushan Kumar. He added that the actors have also been cooperating and asking for practical fees according to the budget.

Bhushan Kumar added that not just the actors, but even the producers are taking their time in finalizing projects. Earlier, if a huge superstar agreed to a film, the producers would immediately finalize and make the film how the actor wanted to. However, he said that the tables have turned now, and that when actors say they love a script, the makers take their time to work out the statistics, and decide whether it is viable for them.

He said that of late, big films with the biggest of actors have not taken off, and it is a huge shock to the makers. The films failed to work despite big actors, which is why makers and producers are also now taking their time to decide whether they want to do the project with the actors.

Bhushan Kumar on Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3

Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 performed well at the box office, and Bhushan Kumar also confirmed that Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 will go on floors next year. He told Pinkvilla, “We are definitely making Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 with Kartik Aaryan. We are right in the process of figuring out the gap that we need between part 2 and part 3. The expectations are sky-high and we are now thinking about how to take the franchise forward. At the moment, we are jamming on the script. All the stakeholders are clear – the idea of Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 needs to be big and unique.”

Bhushan Kumar revealed that the third part will go on floors in the second half of 2024. “We are targeting to release the film in 2025 and start it by the second half of 2024. We have got a good one and a half year to crack the subject,” he said.