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Karan Johar On Bollywood's Overpriced Stars

Bollywood director and producer Karan Johar has emphasized the need for actors to reevaluate their fees, as many films featuring A-list stars are now struggling at the box office.

Speaking at a recent directors' roundtable hosted by The Hollywood Reporter India, Johar discussed the changes he had to implement, revealing that he has stopped paying exorbitant fees to male actors. Filmmaker Zoya Akhtar, who was also part of the discussion, criticized the practice of overpaying male stars in Bollywood, stating, “You have to stop paying. That's it.”

Johar confirmed that he has already made this shift, choosing to work with newcomers instead of overpaying established actors. Referring to his latest production, Kill, he explained that the film's concept required a newcomer because established actors were demanding fees equivalent to the film's entire budget. “When the budget is ₹40 crore, and you’re asking for ₹40 crore, how can I pay you? Are you guaranteeing the film will earn ₹120 crore? There's no guarantee,” Johar remarked, adding that he had to cast a complete outsider to make the project financially feasible.

The discussion also touched upon the diminishing viability of male actors in Hindi cinema. Johar noted that only six male stars still have the ability to draw audiences, despite the fact that over 200 films need to be produced annually. However, the budget structure is heavily skewed in favor of these stars, often leaving little room for the technical crew. Zoya Akhtar highlighted this imbalance, pointing out that male stars’ salaries currently consume 70% of a film’s budget.

Johar had previously called for a reassessment of what defines box office success. In a podcast, he mentioned that stars who demand ₹40 crore in fees are only opening their films to ₹3.5 crore, creating unsustainable economics for producers.