Opinion: Should Stars Be Paid According To Box Office Performance

It takes just a couple of flops for naysayers to start on their favourite pastime, Bollywood Bashing. The very people who hailed the massive comeback of Bollywood in 2023, have now started writing its obituary post a few flops.

This year two big films Bade Miyaan Chotte Miyaan and Maidaan failed

Scroll down social media and its deja vu of sorts, as the same old rhetoric of “it is the end of the road for Bollywood “, gains momentum.

A critic remarks that 2023 was once in a blue moon scenario.” Shahrukh Khan returned to the screens after four years, apart from the man being an emotion, also he reinvented himself by giving back-to-back mega hits. Ranbir Kapoor who has always been scrutinised gave Animal, a blockbuster which also saw the spectacular comeback of Bobby Deol. Now every year that cannot happen. Yes, this year two big films Bade Miyaan Chotte Miyaan and Maidaan failed, but didn’t we have a hit in Fighter, Crew? But to expect the same numbers every year is idiocy.”

However, the flops of two big ticked films starring big billed stars have ignited another debate. Should stars be paid according to their box office performance, an interesting point of view. The viability of a project is more often than not proportional to who is leading it. The remuneration of one top-tier star could well be the entire year’s budget of a regional film industry.

To put the math in perspective Bade Miya Chotte Miyan out of the whopping 350 crore cost to production, the remuneration of its leading men amounted to 160 crores. Trade Analysts feel it’s time the industry took strict measures on burgeoning costs and returns to investment.

Trade Analyst Sumit Kadel succinctly puts his point across. “Ten years ago no actor commanded a high salary, barring yes the 90’s stars like Shahrukh Khan, and Salman Khan. But what's happened recently is removing the mainstream stars who have a box office draw apart, even the so-called B and C Tiers actors have increased their fees by 100 per cent. A few years ago their fees were less than a crore but have now jumped to 10 crores. Why? They are aware that even if their theatrical run may not be at par, their name is a draw in the OTT space. This is just an illusion because they think the streamers are buying the films for them. This is a misnomer, and now with it being a direct theatre to the digital scenario, and the streamers not buying films directly, we are seeing many so-called perfect OTT-type films first releasing on screens. As the producers cost and the box office returns have such huge margins, star fees are drastically going to come down.”

It's well apparent the money spent on production, promotions and marketing nowhere measures up to the film's profits, it is indeed a time to recalibrate and reinvent the industry.

Another aspect which insiders highlight is viewing fatigue, with certain stars coming out with a film every quarter, they need to rethink strategies as well.

“Many actors have realised overexposure is not a good thing, and has adversely impacted them. That's not to say that the content too matters, because the audience is quick to judge,” says an insider.

With the success of films like Laapta Ladies, Do Aur Do Pyaar, Crew, and Madgaon Express it is testimony that the true star of the show is content.