Karan Johar and Zoya Akhtar Address High Fees Demanded by Male Stars in Bollywood at Directors’ Roundtable

The issue of exorbitant fees demanded by Bollywood’s top male stars took center stage at the Directors’ Roundtable hosted by The Hollywood Reporter India. High-profile filmmakers Karan Johar and Zoya Akhtar shared their candid opinions on how these demands are impacting the industry.

During the discussion, Zoya Akhtar openly urged Karan Johar to take action against the high salaries. “Karan, you have to just stop paying high fees to male stars,” she said. Karan Johar, in response, revealed that he had already made a change, citing his recent film Kill as an example. He described Kill as a high-concept action film with a budget of ₹40 crore. However, many A-list male stars demanded that same amount as their fee alone.

Karan explained his rationale behind moving away from casting these big stars. “I asked the A-listers, ‘Are you guaranteeing the film will do ₹120 crore? There’s no guarantee, right?’” he stated. He emphasized that, despite their high fees, many leading men, including Akshay Kumar and Ajay Devgn, have recently been struggling to generate significant box office numbers, with openings as low as ₹3 crore or ₹4 crore. Given the disparity between fees and returns, Karan suggested that the industry must turn to fresh faces, especially since over 200 films are made annually while the top male stars number only six.

Zoya Akhtar also voiced her frustration with the budget imbalance, pointing out that male stars often consume around 70% of a film’s budget. She stressed that technical crews and other essential contributors to filmmaking should be paid fairly, as their work is vital to the success of a film.

This discussion has sparked a broader debate about how the industry can balance star power with sustainable filmmaking, ensuring that all contributors are fairly compensated.