Money on movies

On the perception that actors charge exorbitant amounts Ajay Devgn says, “The actors charge according to the scripts, projects and films. Most of us charge according to the recovery of the film, so that’s fair enough. Sometimes, there may be nothing to take home. When you produce an elaborate film, you may have to let go of the fee.”

Akshay Kumar adds, “We both are producers as well as actors. Sometimes we take a stake in the film we’re signing, instead of charging a fee. If the film does well, we get a good amount. Obviously, if the film doesn’t do well, we don’t get it.

Talking of the influence of social media’s influence on a film’s performance, Ajay Devgn says, “Box office opening figures, weekend collections etc. are totally created by social media. I don’t know who started it. However, in my opinion, audiences just watch a film. If they find it good, they will say so, and vice versa. After watching it, they just move on. Audiences don’t talk about minute stuff. I don't know who is writing in detail on social media about box office results. I feel details about box office performance on social media don’t affect ticket sales.”

Seconding this, Akshay Kumar says, “I agree normal log ko koi fark nahi padta. If they watch a film, they may like it or dislike it.” Asked if they were bothered by trolling, Ajay says, “We are not insecure, I cannot talk about other actors, but we really don’t care.”

Talking about the need to avoid clashes at the box office, both Akshay and Ajay were appreciative of the unity that existed in the 80s and the 90s. “We started together. While Phool Aur Kante was my debut film and Akshay’s was Saugandh. We were both happy about our films. We all stood united in those days. Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan also started around the same time. None of us was insecure. In fact, we helped each other,” says Ajay. When it was pointed out that Phool Aur Kante was offered to Akshay first, he said he was happy that it went to Ajay.