Last updated:March 09, 2025, 16:50 IST

Veteran filmmaker Subhash Ghai has criticized Bollywood’s growing financial mismanagement (Financial Mismanagement, in which the increased budget, more star’s fees and the neglect of the industry towards writers and musicians …Read more

Subhash Ghai raised questions on current film production

New Delhi: While Bollywood is struggling with the challenge of regaining his old pride, veteran filmmaker Subhash Ghai has severely criticized the industry’s financial mismanament, skyrocketing budget and huge fees of stars. Known for her prestigious films, Ghai accused the actors of modern day -made actors of creative and business skills, as well as blamed the industry for neglecting prominent contributors such as writers and musicians.

The film’s budget of 100 rupees increased to 1000
Talking to Komal Nahata on game changers, Ghai expressed grief over the change of industry in a fragmented system run by the budget and corporate interests, from cooperative filmmaking and corporate interests. He said, ‘When a film can be made for Rs 100, but it is increased to Rs 1,000, then they become an open invitation for financial exploitation. He said, ‘Film production was once based on passion and efficiency, but now all this has been divided into different departments, in which many departments are doing separate work and no one is paying attention to keeping the cost controlled.’

The actor is filling pockets from the budget of the film
According to Ghai, one of the main issues is that the inconsistent part of the film’s budget goes into the salary of the actors. He said, ‘Never paid more than 10-15% of the budget to the stars. Today, the actor puts about 70% in his pocket. However, he argued that the trend was introduced not by the filmmakers, but by the Corporate Production House, which was excited to exaggerate the figures in his balance sheet.

Ghai’s 43 films made and the budget did not much, yet earned benefits
Considering his decision to establish Mukta Arts, Ghai emphasized the importance of discipline in film production. He said, ‘We made 43 films, and not a single film ran more than its budget. Every project made a profit as we maintained strict financial discipline. In our time, films were pure and success was a divine blessing. Today, ownership has changed-films are of studios, and the primary objective is internal profit-sharing.

Now the film is not producing, financial maneuver is going on
On the increasing event of actors to step into production, Ghai admitted that Bollywood veterans like Raj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar and Dev Anand have been successfully playing both roles. However, he criticized the modern approach, where actor takes advantage of his market value rather than real film production skills. They argue, ‘A script comes to an actor, and if the budget does not conform to their fees, their manager suggests to become a manufacturer. Then they ask for half of the budget as their acting fee and the remaining half as co-producers. This film is not producing; This is just financial maneuver.

Manufacturer guilty for decline in music
Beyond finance, Ghai expressed concern over the neglect of the industry towards writers and musicians. He said, ‘Studios are obsessed with stars, but rarely talk about their vision with writers. He said, ‘I directed 18 films and produced 43, yet never sold any films on the basis of my cast.’ He also blamed the producers for a decline in film music, stating that there was a lack of inspiration and creative participation among musicians that they had earlier. Ghai told, ‘When I worked with Anand Bakshi, I heard him the whole script, explained every situation in detail. Today the cooperation of that level is missing.