The Hindi film industry has been in doldrums, with film after film flopping at the box office. In this scenario, the Producers Guild in Mumbai is planning to take sincere measures to curtain overhead costs.
Overhead costs have nothing to do with the quality of production in most cases. They go into funding the teams/entourages of actors. Some actresses, for example, have an entourage of about seven members.
Recently, senior journalist Himesh Mankad reported that a young Bollywood actor has asked his producers to pay for the cost of his vanity van through the days of the shoot. He apparently uses three premium-quality vanity vans. The cost on vans alone comes to Rs 1.50 Cr per film per producer.
Vexed with the culture, the Producers Guild, in close consultation with other film associations, has chalked out a plan to put out a guideline for keeping the entourage costs in control. The actors will be given strict instructions to tone down their demands.
