Zoya Akhtar urges Karan Johar to stop paying male actors high fees, KJo hits back, “Every star asked me for the same money that’s the budget”

The remuneration of leading male actors in Bollywood has been a pressing concern lately. Particularly after films starring A-listers like Akshay Kumar and Ajay Devgn have recorded disappointing opening collections, with some movies grossing as low as ₹3 crores and ₹4 crores. In a recent roundtable discussion with The Hollywood Reporter India, filmmakers Karan Johar and Zoya Akhtar were in attendance. Director Karan Johar emphasized the need for male stars to reassess their salaries, while his fellow filmmaker Zoya Akhtar jumped in, suggesting that the technical crew should be paid more since the male lead takes up a significant portion of the budget, approximately 70%.

Karan Johar and Zoya Akhtar on fees

Zoya Akhtar on payments for technical crew

Zoya Akhtar said, “They are not going to know. But Karan, you have to just stop paying. You have to stop paying. That’s it.”

Karan Johar on high fees of male actors

Karan Johar responded that he’s now stopped paying high fees to male stars. He answered, “What is your last couple of films? How much have you opened to? With what right are you asking me for this number? I made a small film called Kill. I put the money in it because it was a high-concept film with a rank newcomer as the face of it. Because I’ve started doing it. It was a high-concept action film.”

Johar also added, “You could not make Kill in any other way. It had to be in that train. Every star asked me for the same money that the budget was for. I was like, ‘How can I pay you? When the budget is ₹40 crore, you’re asking for ₹40 crore? Are you guaranteeing the film will do ₹120 crore? There’s no guarantee, right? So finally, I took a new boy, and he was an ‘outsider,’ I have to say it.” 

Karan further pointed out that there are only a handful of viable male actors in the industry just six, and with over 200 films produced in a year, producers need to find ways to empower new and younger talent. He also expressed frustration that some younger actors want to charge high salaries, ₹40 crore but are not willing to take risks with their acting choices.

About Kill

The action film, Kill was released in July and marked the Bollywood debut of Lakshya. The film, directed by Nikhil Nagesh Bhat and co-produced by Dharma Productions and Sikhya Entertainment, also starred Raghav Juyal, Tanya Maniktala, and Ashish Vidyarthi. The movie premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. It has been acquired by Lionsgate Pictures for distribution in North America. The John Wick director Chad Stahelski and Lionsgate have also announced a Hollywood adaptation of Kill. The film earned ₹24.2 crore at the Indian box office.

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