With most films today being made on a budget that is several crores upwards, a majority of this budget is spent on the actors and the director. And the amount spent on the stars does not just constitute his acting fee but also goes in paying members of his extended staff, including make-up artists, hairstylists, spot-boys, drivers, bodyguards and even their chefs, trainers and business managers.
Cashing in
Needless to say, the bigger a multi-starrer, higher the expense for the stars' staff. As a director, talking off the record, reveals, "Films like Golmaal Returns, Golmaal 3, All The Best, Housefull and Housefull 2, Desi Boyz, Race, Race 2 and Players to name some, cost at least Rs 2 crore for the stars' staff. You won't believe the kind of money they make per movie. They charge Rs 15,000 upwards per day."A production executive associated with a number of hits tells us that Rs 25,000 is the minimum amount paid per day to staff members. "But that's for the most economically priced actors. However, when it comes to stars, their staff costs the producers Rs 50,000 to Rs 70,000 per day," he points out, declining to be named.
Personal favourites
He elaborates, "A hair-stylist and a make-up artist for a star gets paid from Rs 15,000 to 20,000 per day. If the star like Sanjay Dutt, Ajay Devgan, Ranbir Kapoor wants someone like Aalim or Aamir Khan insists on Adhuna Babani, then his or her charges are about Rs 30,000 per day.
In many cases, these top stylists let their assistants take over after they've styled the stars. These assistants are paid from Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000, depending on their experience.
For actresses, Pompi is sought after for hairstyling. Kareena Kapoor always insists on him. His fees are about Rs 18,000 per day. Katrina Kaif insists on Subhash for her make-up, He charges nothing less than Rs 18,000 per day."
Costume gala
Another lucrative department for the stars' staff is costumes. While most designers charge a lump sum amount for the film, the middle and lower rung make the producer pay their assistants who represent them at the shooting.
"So while Manish Malhotra, Ana Singh, Surily Goel pay their assistants from the huge packet they pocket, some others make the filmmaker pay about Rs 10,000 per day to the costume assistant," reveals our production source.
Extra earnings
In fact, even a star's extended staff members like his spot-boy, driver, trainer and bodyguards draw handsome amounts. Another executive producer who has worked on many a multi-starrers explains, "While a spot-boy is paid Rs 3,000 to Rs 4,000, drivers and bodyguards are paid about Rs 1,100 to Rs 1,500. If a star needs to get into shape for a film, then some make the producer pay for the trainer on outdoor. That costs Rs 8,000 to Rs 10,000 per day." According to our sources, on outdoor shoots, the producer has to bear the cost for the travel and accommodation of the actor's staff.
They stay in the same hotel as the star. Some actors however pay some of their staff from their own pockets. "Like Aamir Khan, Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar and Shah Rukh Khan pay for their own security personnel," points our source.
Even body doubles for stars get paid on a per day basis. Our sources quotes, "Shah Rukh has a body double for his action scenes. It's learnt he's paid Rs 6 lakh to Rs 8 lakh per year."
Top slots
Our sources conclude that among the male stars, Amitabh Bachchan and Shahrukh Khan command the highest fee for their staff while Kareena, Katrina and Bipasha Basu top the list of female actresses for the same.
