Riteish Deshmukh comments on stars' fees, supports entourage cost: 'Jab film nahi chalti toh...' | Exclusive

Riteish Deshmukh reacts to the ongoing debate of stars' fees and entourage cost and says that actor and their team should be considered as 'one-unit'. For months, filmmakers and actors such as Anurag Kashyap, Karan Johar, Farah Khan, Shabana Azmi, Kriti Sanon, and Janhvi Kapoor have shared their views on the same. 

Riteish, who has turned to production and direction with Lai Bhari and Ved, shares his thoughts about the same. While promoting his new series Pill, Riteish says, "I think actor and entourage should be considered as one big package. As a producer, if you feel that it's not worth it, then don't sign the actor. If you think that the actor can bring that value, then go for it. Jab chaar log nahi le rahe yeh value mein, toh woh price drop kar dega (When makers will not sign the artiste on that value, the fees will be reconsidered)." 

He further explains why entourage is necessary, "Eventually budgets are going to increase because you want more expertise in that. So when you need something extraordinary in that space, the budget will shoot up. If we need prosthetics, and we call someone from America, why? Because they might have better expertise in it, then the cost will increase." 

Riteish recalls that when he started out in Bollywood, there were no vans or personal make-up artistes, "Earlier there were no personal make-up artistes. There used to be one make-up professional from the production, who would look after every cast member. Pehle hair and make-up ek hi banda dekhta tha (Earlier, only one person used to look after hair and make-up). Then they realised that a make-up guy may not be able to do hair or vice versa. You need more expertise because you realise you need to give that much attention. Vans nahi hoti thi. Then every actor needed privacy, and then vanity vans were introduced."

When asked if actors should also adjust their fees to support a project, he adds, "Jab film chalti hain toh all costs are justified. Jab woh nahi chalti toh cost pe asar padta hai, aur sabse zyada variable cost actor ka hi hota hai (When the film is a hit, all costs are justified. When it is not a hit, the cost is affected, and the most variable cost is that of the actor). But I do think that it should be a collective responsibility. If an actor who takes high fees, decides to go for profit sharing and share the burden of the producer, then it's good for them." Ritieish's latest series, Pill is streaming on JioCinema Premium. 

Read: Riteish Deshmukh talks about making OTT debut with Pill, discusses why digital platform will 'stay forever' | Exclusive