The Cost of Akshay Kumar

Many in the media recently had a mail from Pooja Entertainment, praising Akshay Kumar for forgoing his salary for the production house’s most recent release, Bade Miyan Chote Miyan. Made on a budget of ₹350 crore, the film made ₹108 crore at the box office. Much of the budget was spent on Kumar and his co-star Tiger Shroff. Pooja Entertainment’s Jackky Bhagnani put out a statement that praised Kumar for announcing that his own payments be placed on hold until every single crew member working on their projects received their full and final payment. “We are incredibly grateful for Akshay Sir’s understanding and his willingness to stand with us during this time. The movie business hinges on strong relationships and that is the spirit we strive to foster in the industry,” said Bhagnani. Pooja Entertainment’s woes have been well-publicised with several film crew members accusing the production house of not paying their dues. The real discussion should be, however, on the cost of big stars, something director Anurag Kashyap has been discussing in interviews. It is a cost peculiar to the Hindi film industry (and A-list Hollywood stars). It is the cost of vanity vans, brand managers, social media managers, stylists, chefs, hair and make-up artists, and spot boys. Each has to be paid for by the producer. Some actors like Kumar travel light but then they only do so by chartered private flights. It is not the same in other film industries, such as the Malayalam one, where actors usually restrict themselves to one manager who literally manages their schedule and takes their work calls. The Malayalam film actors are usually to be found on the set even when they are not in the scene, and not in their vans. It is no surprise it has led to a more egalitarian work culture and better bonding. And certainly better movies.

Preeti the Scene Stealer

Savdhan! The marching orders in Hindi ring in the opening credits of Girls Will Be Girls. With reason. Set in a boarding school, the film chronicles the coming of age of a 15-year-old girl when a new classmate, a boy, comes in from Hong Kong and disturbs Mira (Preeti Panigrahi) and her carefully constructed life as head prefect, top student, and top performer. Now 22, Preeti was discovered in an open audition by casting director Dilip Shankar. The director of the film, Shuchi Talati, says one can hear her breathing onscreen. “She does so much by doing so little, by merely existing onscreen,” adds Talati. She wanted the movie to be about a young girl’s first romance without letting it shame her, or make her a bad girl. Graduate of Delhi University’s Hindu College, Panigrahi was active in Ibtida, the college dramatics society. And the role of a school leader came naturally to her, given she was the head girl of Amity International School, Noida, where her mother is vice principal. She went on to study animation cinema at the Satyajit Ray Institute of Film and Television India. Panigrahi is also in the short films Jag Puran and Night Queen. Girls Will Be Girls has been winning awards at a series of international festivals such as Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA) and the Transylvania International Film Festival.

Maddock the Urban Mythmaker

Once in a while, a small film emerges to put big egos in place. This year’s biggest such phenomenon has been Munjya, a creature feature produced by Dinesh Vijan’s Maddock Films. The film, made for `30 crore, collected `123 crore. Inspired by folk legend, the film was directed by Aditya Sarpotdar. Vijan has now developed quite a knack for making horror films with a twist, whether it is Stree (2018) or Bhediya (2022). Munjya is the fourth film in what is grandly known as the Maddock Supernatural Universe, produced by Vijan and Amar Kaushik who directed Stree and Bhediya. According to local Maharashtrian legend, munjya is a tree dwelling spirit who possesses people in order to marry a woman named Munni. Similarly, Stree was a gender reversed story based on a folk tale about a ghost who abducts women at night when they are alone, leaving only their clothes behind and Bhediya was inspired by Arunachal Pradesh’s legend of a shape-shifting werewolf (Yapum), who wants to protect the jungle, even if he or she has to kill somebody. In addition, Vijan has also developed a good network with young actors such as Rajkummar Rao, Shraddha Kapoor, and Kriti Sanon. New voices, fresh faces and old stories. What could be better?

About The Author

Kaveree Bamzai

Kaveree Bamzai is an author and a contributing writer with Open

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