The glittering world of Bollywood is facing a harsh financial reality check. Industry insiders are sounding the alarm, stating that the extravagant demands of top actors, from multi-million dollar fees to sprawling personal entourages, are severely straining production budgets and squeezing profits.
The High Cost of Stardom: Fleets and Entourages
Beyond their hefty paychecks, which can reach a staggering $22.18 million per film, Bollywood stars are increasingly arriving on set with extensive support teams. Producers report that it is now routine for a leading actor to be accompanied by a dozen or more personal staff, including makeup artists, hairdressers, stylists, gym trainers, and multiple assistants, all billed directly to the film's production.
The demands extend to luxury accommodations and travel. First-class flights, five-star hotel suites, and multiple private trailers have become standard. A single vanity trailer hired for the duration of a shoot can cost producers up to $18,000. Veteran producer Mukesh Bhatt described these escalating requirements as "obnoxious," noting that "expansive support teams, premium travel and luxury accommodations often inflate budgets without proportionate creative impact."
A Fragile Economic Model Under Pressure
The pandemic-era boom, where streaming platforms paid inflated prices for film rights, temporarily masked these financial strains. However, as those lucrative deals dried up, producers were forced into a painful correction. Income plummeted, but the stars' demands and fees remained high, creating an unsustainable gap.
This imbalance is starkly illustrated by the 2024 big-budget film Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, starring Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff. The film reportedly cost about $42 million to produce but suffered poor ticket sales. The financial fallout was so severe that producers were rumored to have mortgaged property to cover the resulting debts.
Distributor Raj Bansal highlighted how demands have snowballed: "Earlier, actors wouldn't mind sharing one vanity van. Then they decided to give one vanity van each to a big star -- and demand went on increasing." For some, these demands have become a symbol of status and power within the industry.
A Call for Change and "Self-Respect"
Prominent voices within Bollywood are now calling for a major shift. Actor-filmmaker Aamir Khan publicly criticized stars for burdening producers, asking in a September 2025 interview, "You earn in crores (tens of millions of rupees). Where's your self-respect?"
Producers like Mukesh Bhatt advocate for a move towards partnership-style compensation models. "When a film thrives, every contributor should benefit," he argues. "When it struggles, the weight should not rest solely on the producer, who shoulders risk from the very beginning." This model would tie earnings more closely to a film's box office performance.
There are exceptions that point to a possible path forward. Actor Kartik Aaryan waived his fee for the 2023 film Shehzada after it performed poorly. He stated, "If your star value and the entire project's value gives profit to the entire team, I think then the math adds up. If it doesn't, then you should take a cut." Similarly, veteran producer Viveck Vaswani notes that megastars like Shah Rukh Khan and Akshay Kumar often cover their own entourage costs, refusing to burden producers.
The consensus among many insiders is clear: the industry's future depends on refocusing resources. As Bhatt concludes, "A measured approach will allow us to redirect resources toward what truly defines cinema -- the power of storytelling." The era of unchecked star-driven budgets may be reaching its inevitable breaking point.
