Amid growing concerns over skyrocketing star salaries and production costs in Bollywood, acclaimed filmmaker Shoojit Sircar has issued a bold statement, urging top actors to reconsider their hefty fee demands. Speaking in a recent interview with ANI, the Piku and October director stressed that if actors fail to lower their rates, filmmakers might soon stop approaching them for projects altogether.
Sircar emphasized that filmmaking should prioritize creative vision and storytelling over celebrity paychecks. He pointed out that often, directors are forced to compromise on their cinematic vision due to the exorbitant costs associated with hiring big-name stars. “If an actor’s fee eats up a major portion of the budget, it becomes impossible to invest in the creative elements that make a film memorable,” he explained.
Reflecting on his own career, Shoojit highlighted how he and his producing partner Ronnie Lahiri have consistently maintained strict budgets across their projects. He noted that the actors who work with them understand the focus on passion and sincerity rather than extravagant spending. This philosophy, he added, has helped him maintain both creative integrity and financial discipline in his filmmaking journey.
The filmmaker also didn’t shy away from criticizing the current creative slump in the Hindi film industry. Sircar observed that many filmmakers are playing it too safe, leading to a lack of innovation and freshness in storytelling. He asserted that if Bollywood hopes to regain its momentum, it must embrace risk-taking and explore new, thought-provoking narratives instead of recycling the same old formulas.
Shoojit Sircar’s recent film I Want To Talk, starring Abhishek Bachchan, may have struggled at the box office initially, but it has found appreciation on OTT platforms. As the industry continues to grapple with changing audience preferences and financial pressures, Sircar’s comments serve as a timely reminder that the future of Bollywood depends on balancing creativity with sensible economics.