Gulshan Devaiah: ‘Actors charged high prices because producers were ready for it’
Gulshan Devaiah discusses the rising costs of the actor’s crew and the responsibility of producers in the film industry.
Gulshan Devaiah has shared his opinion on the rising cost of actors. Devaiah, who will next be seen in ‘Uljhan’, supported Anurag Kashyap’s statement but also said that it was possible only because the producers were willing to pay the money. He also shared that not all actors quote high prices.
Speaking to News18, Gulshan Devaiah said, “Maybe Anurag (Kashyap) has seen some actors like that in his experience. I was there when he said this, so I can say that he also said that there are producers who are willing to pay that money. Suddenly, why are they complaining? One has to understand why such a thing is prevalent. It is like asking why a government official is taking bribes? It is because someone is willing to pay it too. Yes, it is true that not all actors pay high prices. There are a select few. But they should also be a little reasonable.”
He also added, “Sometimes it slowly trickles down. They see other actors walking around with five bodyguards and then they want six for themselves. Yes, we are not offered residual income or backend deals. I don’t know why everyone is so shy about talking about it. Maybe it’s because they have to open their books and show transparency in their accounts. But there are other ways to make money.”
In my interview with Janice Sequira, Anurag Kashyap told how an actor’s chef took 2 lakh rupees for food that looks like bird feed. Talking about this, Devaiah said, “A few years ago, the producers would have thought it was worth paying that much money. Maybe it’s not worth it now. Maybe they don’t have Rs 2 lakh to spend on a chef. Things are changing. So, it’s everyone’s responsibility to ensure that every story is made within the right budget.”
He further added, “At one point, nobody cared about it because they knew how to make money. But now life has thrown up challenges and the situation is no longer easy. There are other avenues through which producers can make money. Now, the burden of recovering the cost is on them. It’s a cutthroat business. Releasing films in theatres has always been difficult, but now more than ever, producers are facing the challenge of making up that budget.”
Gulshan Devaiah will be seen next in ‘Uljhan’Directed by National Award winner Sudhanshu Saria, the film stars Janhvi Kapoor in the role of an IPS officer and will release in theatres on August 2.
