Nawazuddin Siddiqui says ‘stars who charge ₹100 crore’ are harming films: ‘I see it as a corruption of the craft’

Nawazuddin Siddiqui has taken a dig at Bollywood stars who charge a huge fee per film. In a recent interview, the actor has said that the huge fees charged by actors drive up the budgets of these films, which end up hurting their profits. Nawazuddin said that such a model was not viable and actors should not worry about box office. Also read: Nawazuddin Siddiqui: ‘Dark skinned people are in demand’

Nawazuddin spoke about the battle between art and commerce in the field of cinema in a recent interaction. There, he spoke about how the high fee charged by some actors makes film’s budget unviable and causes them to ‘flop’. While actors’ fees in Bollywood are not public, several reports have claimed that top actors like the three Khans charge over ₹100 crore per film. This figure usually includes distribution rights and profit share.

In an interview with E-Times, the actor said, “Looking at box-office numbers is the responsibility of the producer. An actor should not be bothered about ticket sales. I see it as a corruption of the craft. Why should an actor be talking about box office? The stars who charged ₹100 crores per film are the ones who have ended up harming the films. A small budget or a modest-budget film doesn’t fail. Every time a film’s budget is beyond the limits of viability, it will be a flop. Actors, directors, and storytellers don’t flop. It’s the film’s budget that makes it a hit or flop.”

In the same interaction, Nawazuddin also added that good content will always invite commercial success or at least backing. “It is a historic fact that money has always chased good ideas and passion. I could have a trillion dollars but if I don’t have the ability to think of one decent idea, it’s almost a certainty that my trillion dollars will get reduced into pocket change. From the film industry perspective, if a person has a remarkable script, producers will run behind that person with endless money to get that script. We should give more credence to a capable brain and a person who can come up with good ideas,” he said.

Nawazuddin was last seen as the antagonist in Heropanti 2, which was released earlier this year. He will be next seen in Tiku Weds Sheru, Kangana Ranaut’s home production. He has five other films in the pipeline, most of which will release in 2023.