With huge budget films failing to create any wonders at the
box-office, many megastars are finding themselves in hot waters. Current
reportage indicated Saif Ali Khan’s clear willingness to slash his pay in the
repercussion of Happy Ending’s unfortunate performance. With such trying
times looming large, we wondered if it would be easy for Aishwarya Rai Bachchan
who is making her comeback with Jazba to demand her ‘Once upon a
time’ market fee.
Producer-director Sanjay Gupta, on the other hand, clears
the air. “Why should Aishwarya take a pay-cut. There is no question of she
taking any pay cut. Why will she take a pay cut? Today the films are not
failing, it is always the budget. The satellite market has also crashed so
there is no production happening. Four or five of the biggest studios don’t
have a single film on floors right now. So there is trouble in paradise right
now,” tells Sanjay
Elaborating on how losses can be optimized, Sanjay reveals,
“From all the duds of last year, the studio has lost an X amount. Take the ATL
(Above The Line) payment of the movie. The ATL is the main star cast and the
director. Cut the ATL by half and the studio will face no loss.”
The filmmaker also believes in not overpaying his stars.
“The only place we are going wrong is when we are overpaying. My theory is
don’t overpay and don’t underpay, too. I am ready to pay your normal fee and
then take the extra money from the profit. I wouldn’t want to take the first
share from its profit. I would let the star have the first share as without the
star my film would have never been made in the first case. So, all I am telling
stars is, take money from my profit and not pocket.”
Jazba, as Sanjay puts it, is a commercial film starring four
big stars, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Irrfan Khan, Shabana Azmi and Anupam Kher.
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