KC Bokadia urges actors to ease producers' entourage expenses

KC Bokadia has urged actors to consider the financial pressure their personal arrangements place on film producers. In an interview with ANI, the filmmaker cited his experiences with Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan and Rajinikanth, saying they did not pass their staff salary costs to producers.

His remarks centred on expenses associated with entourages and vanity vans during shoots. He said some actors now seek several vans, including vehicles fitted with gym facilities, increasing the amount producers must spend each day.

Bokadia argued that actors should recognise the business responsibilities of those financing a film. He called for greater consideration between the people working on a production and those bearing its costs.

Memories of a different working culture

Looking back at earlier film sets, KC Bokadia described actors eating together during breaks between shots. He contrasted those shared meals with his observation that artistes increasingly spend their breaks inside vanity vans.

He also recalled a shoot in Chennai, then called Madras, when Jackie Shroff had been given a double room rather than a suite. Bokadia said he intervened over the accommodation, only to find that the actor was comfortable with the arrangement.

According to the filmmaker's recollection, Shroff felt the room met his needs because he would be shooting through the day and returning at night. Bokadia presented the episode as an example of a practical attitude towards working arrangements.

The producer, director and screenwriter has worked in cinema for more than five decades and has produced and directed over 60 films. His credits include Teri Meherbaniyan, Pyar Jhukta Nahin and Lal Baadshah.

He began producing with Rivaaj in 1972 and made his directorial debut with Aaj Ka Arjun in 1990. His appeal asked artistes to remain considerate towards producers and to recognise their shared dependence on the financial health of filmmaking.

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