Kartik Aaryan On Conversation Over Star Fee, Overhead Costs: "It's A Healthy Discussion"

There is and should be a healthy discussion around controlling a film's budget, according to Chandu Champion actor-director Kartik Aaryan and Kabir Khan, who believe the debate about the rising star fee and overhead costs is going in the right direction.

With back-to-back poor performances of big movies, there is a lot of chatter in Hindi cinema around the remuneration taken by some of the big stars whose entourage also costs money to producers.

Aaryan, one of the top stars in the industry today, said a film's mathematics should add up at the end of the day.

"There are so many rights of a film when it releases. So you get an 'x' amount of money out of it. If your star value and the entire project's value gives profit to the entire team, I think then the math adds up. If it doesn't, then you have to, you should take a cut... It's a healthy discussion," Aaryan told PTI in an interview here.

Khan, known for directing big budget blockbusters such as "Ek Tha Tiger" and "Bajrangi Bhaijaan", both starring Salman Khan, said this discussion has been prompted by the shift in industry dynamics after the pandemic. "It's a healthy debate and it's getting a positive response from actors, directors, and producers. (After COVID) The audiences, their viewing patterns changed, their habit of coming to theatres got diminished. So there was this whole debate about that if that's diminishing, what are the other avenues where we can earn money from? "OTT stepped in as another large part of the revenue. But what happens is that at whatever point, the industry faces a little tough time and sees that maybe the recovery is not happening the way it used to, obviously there will be an attempt to control the budgets," the filmmaker told PTI.

"I feel the same way. I've been all-in in all my films. My whole thing is that mathematics has to add up. That's the main thing. That's also what sir (Khan) was saying," Aaryan echoed. Khan, whose last film was 2021's multi-starrer sports drama "83", said people from the industry need to be on the same page to decide how costs can be controlled by not compromising on the quality of the film.

"Nobody wants to cut down the money that's being spent on things you see on screen. So, the question comes about the money that comes through the staff fees, which, of course, is a large amount of the budget. Even stars and actors are now stepping forward and saying, 'If this is the film you're making, this is the money that's needed to mount it on this scale, obviously we will take a cut in our fees'.

"No one wants to say 'Give me my money even if we make a smaller film'. At the end of the day, it's going to reflect on the staff. That is a healthy discussion that's happening and I think from every quarter of the industry there's consensus that we all have to come together so that the business is able to continue. You can't start making money in the short term and kill the business," he added.

Aaryan, who has fronted money spinners like Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 and Satyaprem Ki Katha in the last four years, said all stakeholders are on board to find a better way to support the industry.

"I don't see actors also having any problems as such or even directors or producers because it's something that will benefit everyone. Having said that, there have been changes in a way post Covid. Audiences are way particular about the kind of films they want to watch in theatres. There is a lot of influx in platforms also because of which there's a lot of content that they are getting.

"Of course, there are many avenues now to watch the content, which is why we need to be smart about this so that the entire ecosystem is beneficial to everyone whether it's platforms, actors, directors, producers or theatres. It's never an 'or', but an 'and'. That's something we are really looking towards," he said.

Chandu Champion, Khan and Aaryan's film on India's first Paralympic gold medalist Murlikant Petkar, follows the journey of the titular hero across ages and phases, including being an Indian Army soldier, a wrestler, a boxer, a 1965 war veteran and a swimmer.

A Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment & Kabir Khan Films Production, the Hindi film will hit the screens on June 14.