Amitabh Bachchan: “Actors get Rs 50-100 crore and then entourage cost, except Amitabh Bachchan, who paid for his own van, spotboy,” recalls the producer, “Do you think we’re fools?” | Hindi Movie News

One often hears a discussion about the entourage costs of big stars and how it adds a burden to the producer. In a recent interview, veteran producer KC Bokadia has slammed actors who charge a lot of money for a film and their crews. He also gave Amitabh Bachchanthe example and praised the actor for the way he behaved. The late eighties and early nineties were a difficult phase in Amitabh Bachchan’s career. After moving away from film to enter politics in the mid-1980s, the superstar returned to film, but the massive success he had enjoyed during the 1970s did not immediately follow. It was during this period that producer KC Bokadia approached him for ‘Aaj Ka Arjun’ (1990), a film that became Bokadia’s directorial debut.Although Amitabh was no longer at the height of his dominance at the box office, Bokadia says he remained one of the most respectful and dignified stars he had 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 boy, make-up artist, driver and van, even after becoming the first actor to charge him a fee of Rs 1 crore.“Amitabh was the first person in the industry who had a boy, make-up artist, driver… He wouldn’t accept money for them, even then. He brought his own van, his driver and I greet people like that. Actors get crores of rupees, but that doesn’t hurt the producer that much, but when you ask for Rs 10,000, who should get an assistant… fools?” he saidBokadia contrasted Bachchan’s approach with that of several actors today, alleging that many charge high fees while expecting producers to cover the costs of their entourage.“Now, actors are paid Rs 50-100 crore… They should be a little generous. Even the producer should feel that he is working with someone who has a big heart and really deserves that much money,” he said, adding, “If you burden the producer with an unnecessary cost… You ask them to pay for a gym in vans, and do you think that is something to be proud of?”He further argued that this increase in expenses has made it increasingly difficult for independent producers to survive. According to him, some producers even end up buying tickets for their own films to inflate the box office collections, as stronger numbers help in getting better deals with streaming platforms.Reflecting on his first meeting with Amitabh, Bokadia revealed that he was initially told that he would have to wait outside the actor’s make-up room for hours. Instead, the meeting turned out to be surprisingly quick, with Bachchan agreeing to do the film almost immediately.“It was 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 or the director.’ You, what am I going to do with a story that works for you?”After the success of ‘Aaj Ka Arjun’, the duo reunited for ‘Lal Baadshah’. Looking back on their collaborations, Bokadia described Amitabh as a performer whose screen presence has always mattered more than external glamour.“People are very concerned about other things, like costumes and so on, but I feel what you do on screen, that’s where the actor shines,” he said, before adding that Bachchan “is a lion, and always has been.”Over the years, KC Bokadia has produced several notable films including ‘Hum Tumhare Hain Sanam’, ‘Lal Baadshah’, ‘Aao Pyaar Karen’, ‘Phool Bane Angaarey’, ‘Naseeb Apna Apna’ and ‘Teri Meherbaniyan’.