By Kashvi Raj Singh,News18

Copyright news18

Filmmaker Sanjay Gupta weighed in on the ongoing controversy regarding an actor’s per-day entourage cost. Although Bollywood’s escalating entourage costs have left many producers struggling with budget, the issue seems to be an ongoing affair. Now, the director of Shootout at Lokhandwala has revealed a shocking incident when a producer had to cancel a film due to the same problem.
In a recent interview, Sanjay Gupta revealed how certain stars slap hefty bills on producers these days. He elaborated that although many A-listers, including Amitabh Bachchan, prefer to pay his staff on their own, many demand as many as six vanity vans, which come with a list of hidden charges. Recalling an incident on Cyrus Broacha’s podcast, the producer said, “I’ll tell you something very funny. This particular actor signed a film down south. He went for the shoot, and they went to the location, which is a studio. And suddenly, the producer finds that there are these six vans from Bombay, and he’s like, ‘Boss, I didn’t hire six actors’.”
Sanjay Gupta Reveals How A Film Got Cancelled Due To Actor’s Entourage Cost
Following this, Gupta then elaborated on the story of the Bollywood star who had signed a South Indian movie, and clarified that these things should be done to a limit. “See, to a certain level, you indulge. Fine. But then he was told, ‘Yeh saab ka vans hai, aur yeh raato raat Bombay se aaya hai, aapka ek din bach gaya (These are sir’s vans, and they’ve been brought in overnight from Mumbai, so you saved a day),” he discussed without revealing the name of the actor.
At this moment, Gupta revealed that the producer was then left furious, and “wanted to give every gaali” to the star. Hence, they thought of completely scrapping the project and packed up. “They packed up that day, and they told the actor, ‘Sir, next three days there is a problem with the location; you return to Mumbai and we’ll tell you when to come back’. The minute that actor got on the flight, he called all the drivers and said ‘f**k off’. They scrapped the film! The producer scrapped the film. He said, ‘We don’t do this. Inform us. Ask us. You can’t just bring six vans and send a bill of Rs 18 lakh’,” he explained.
Sanjay Gupta Was In Praises Of Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt And Others
In the same conversation, Gupta then reminisced about the days he worked with stars like Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt, Hrithik Roshan, Suniel Shetty, and others. The director-producer mentioned that these stars have small teams, which isn’t always the case with younger stars. “I know certain actors who have six makeup vans. It’s mandatory. The first van is his personal space. This is real; I’m very serious,” he stated.
Sanjay Gupta’s Career At A Glance
The filmmaker, producer and screenwriter is best known for directing remakes of American action-thriller and crime films. The list includes Zinda, Kaante, Shootout at Wadala, Jazbaa, Mumbai Saga, Aatish, Kaabil, Shootout at Lokhandwala, and many others.
Lastly, he worked as a director, producer, and screenwriter for the sports drama film The Miranda Brothers. Produced under the banner of White Feather Films, the film stars Harshvardhan Rane and Meezaan Jafri in key roles. It was released on JioCinema in October last year.