Samir Soni Blames Karan Johar, Farah Khan For Rising Entourage Costs: 'Can't Sign Big Stars And...'

Actor Samir Soni recently weighed in on the heated debate surrounding rising star fees and entourage costs in Bollywood. Known for his role in Amazon Prime Video’s ‘Made in Heaven,’ Soni responded to filmmakers Farah Khan and Karan Johar’s remarks about the escalating expenses in an industry struggling with revenue and returns.

When asked about his perspective on filmmakers criticizing actors for their high charges, Soni told Ujjwal Trivedi, “All I’d like to say to Karan and Farah is that if you think the expenses are rising, you are the ones paying for all of it. You can’t be signing a big star for Rs 100 crore and then complain about the high fees. Kuch kami toh aap mein bhi hai (There are some shortcomings in you, too). Because otherwise, there are people who will work for Rs 1 crore or even Rs 50 lakh.”

Karan Johar recently spoke out about the exorbitant fees charged by top actors, while Farah Khan highlighted the rising overhead costs of filmmaking, linking them to the stars’ extravagant demands, which she termed as “wastage of resources.” An Indianexpress.com report detailed the impact of entourage costs on film budgets, revealing that the daily costs for a star’s entourage can include Rs 25,000 for a spot boy, Rs 15,000 per head for personal security, and up to Rs 1 lakh for a stylist. These expenses can amount to Rs 20-22 lakh per day, adding an extra Rs 15-20 crore for a 70-day shoot.

Before Samir Soni’s remarks, actor Rajeev Khandelwal also criticized Karan and Farah’s comments. In an interview with Siddharth Kanan, Rajeev responded to Karan Johar’s criticism of actors charging Rs 35 crore but failing to deliver Rs 3.5 crore openings. He pointed out, “But who agreed to give them the Rs 35 crore in the first place? If not Rs 35 crore, someone must’ve given them Rs 30 crore. Was it you yourself who used to give them Rs 25 crore? Till the time when Rs 25 crore was working for you, it was fine, but now that it’s not, you’re coming out and complaining about high salaries. Who spoiled them? You created these monsters.”