Industry
Movie star entourages under the scanner amid uncertain box office returns
Summary
- Lavish star entourages are reshaping the economics of Indian filmmaking, creating a financial crisis for producers already grappling with declining box office returns.
In the glamorous world of Indian cinema, the spotlight often extends beyond the stars to their lavish entourages.
Movie stars often bring along a small army, comprising hair and makeup professionals, managers, stylists, and fitness instructors, creating a significant financial burden for producers. These teams, often up to eight people, need to be paid for 30-35 days of shooting, with expenses sometimes reaching up to ₹1 crore per star.
But as producers and studios look to rationalize costs, they are becoming increasingly wary of the huge amounts spent not just on star fees, but also on the teams that accompany them.
For big-budget films, entourage costs can account for around 10% of the total expense. For smaller films, this figure can rise to 20-25%, making it a significant challenge in addition to the star's fee.
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“Artist entourage prices have gone through the roof, to the point of being extortionate. This is the biggest peeve of every producer, digital platform, and studio right now," said producer Tanuj Garg. “Several producers put their foot down on what is sensible and logical, but then there are producers who give in, so there is little consistency unfortunately."
Heads of production houses and studios point out that entourage costs are eating into significant portions of budgets, not just for films, but also for endorsement deals where stars are needed on set for only a few days. This trend has contributed to producers green-lighting fewer films, as returns remain uncertain.
For instance, Salman Khan's action film The Bull has been stalled indefinitely, while Ranveer Singh recently exited Rakshas, a project to be directed by Prashant Varma of Telugu hit HanuMan. Similarly, the sequel to Tiger Shroff's Ganapath and his other action film, Rambo, have also made no progress. Entourage costs were among the reasons for these delays and exits, according to people familiar with the developments.
While top stars have long been associated with high entourage costs, industry insiders say it is becoming increasingly difficult to approve projects when such expenses are demanded by stars who are not delivering at the box office.
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A film studio head, who wished to remain anonymous, highlighted the additional costs producers bear for multiple vanity vans for a single actor—one for workouts, another for meetings, and yet another for getting ready.
“These are all over and above the fee paid to the actor, not to speak of business class travel and food on sets for their children, nannies, managers, and PR agency representatives," he said.
He concurred with Garg on the industry's unorganized nature, especially in Hindi cinema, where no quick solutions are available because, for every producer who takes a stand, several others agree to foot these bills. When issues like the virtual print fee (VPF) remain unresolved for years, star entourage costs are likely to continue being overlooked.
The burden of VPF
VPF, a cost borne by producers to show their films using digital projectors and technology supplied by digital service providers such as UFO Moviez and Qube Cinemas, can cost up to ₹25,000 per screen. Producers argue that the cost is exorbitant and needs to be rationalized, while exhibitors counter that they cannot provide free services when the theatrical business is struggling.
Some entertainment industry experts suggest that more stars co-producing their own films and opting for backend deals instead of upfront fees could lead to a realization that some of these costs are absurd. However, any rationalization of entourage expenses can only work as a suggestion, not as a mandatory industry-wide ruling.
“Entourage expenses have been around for some time, and a lot of producers are trying to include them in the star fee itself. The conversations have begun, but it will only be done on a case-to-case basis," said Mukesh Mehta, founder of Malayalam film production and distribution company E4 Entertainment.
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