Karan Johar Calls Out Stars Demanding Rs 40 Crore For 'Kill', Zoya Akhtar Suggests 'Karan, You Just Have To Stop Paying Them'

Karan Johar recently disclosed that some actors had demanded a staggering Rs 40 crore for his film, 'Kill'.

New Delhi: Karan Johar has expressed his frustration with the rapidly increasing salary demands of Hindi cinema actors in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter India. According to him, these demands often surpass the films' market worth. Karan brought attention to the problem of pay rates by bringing up the disappointment of films starring Ajay Devgn and Akshay Kumar, which had opening weekend box office receipts of barely Rs 2-3 crore.

Karan Johar said that Zoya Akhtar had accused him of starting the trend of paying hefty fees in the past and that the wage disagreements were a major reason why stars turned down his film ‘Kill’.

Zoya Akhtar interrupted Karan Johar and said, “Karan, you just have to stop paying them.” "I don't pay any more," Karan said in response. 

He went into detail about his encounters with the actors, saying that he had to deal with their demands of equal pay to the film's whole budget of Rs 40 crore. Karan said, “I produced a small film called Kill. I spent money on it because it was a high-concept film with a rank newcomer. Every star that we went to asked me for the same money as the budget. When the budget is Rs 40 crore, how can you ask for Rs 40 crore? Are you guaranteeing me that the film will do Rs 120 crore? There’s no guarantee.”

Using examples from Hollywood, which has helped newcomers get big franchise parts funded by studios, Karan stressed the necessity of a change in the business. He said,  "Hollywood started doing this a decade ago when they started giving these new stars all the tentpole franchise films. They were empowered by the studios. That’s what needs to start happening here. You can take younger actors, and you can tie them in contractually and not let them do a similar franchise for another studio."

About ‘Kill’

‘Kill’ is an adrenaline-fueled adventure full of strong performances and explosive moments. In the nail-biting drama (helmed by Nikhil Nagesh Bhat), Lakshya plays the role of Indian Army commando Amrit, who is on a train heading to New Delhi when he must race against the clock and armed enemies to save Tanya Maniktala's character, Tulika. The film is produced by Dharma Productions and Sikhya Entertainment, and boasts an intense cinematic experience.

'Kill' is now available to stream on Disney+ Hotstar.