'They Couldn’t Afford Me...': Shahid Kapoor Admits That He Didn't Charge Any Fees For Vishal Bhardwaj's Haider
Shahid Kapoor says that Vishal Bharadwaj's 'Haider' was the only movie for which he did not get paid.
New Delhi: Shahid Kapoor and Vishal Bhardwaj worked together in 2014 for the political drama ‘Haider’. This movie takes place against the turbulent background of Kashmir and is inspired by William Shakespeare's Hamlet. 'Haider' also featured Tabu, Kay Kay Menon, Irrfan Khan, and Shraddha Kapoor in supporting roles. The movie was released in the year 2014 and had a strong performance in terms of box office revenue. Shahid Kapoor's performance as the protagonist earned him the first and only Best Actor Filmfare Award of his career. According to the actor, he didn't get paid by the producers of the movie.
Shahid Kapoor said in a recent interview why he worked for free in ‘Haider’. He mentioned turning down a paycheck because his demands were too high for the producers. In a chat with Anupama Chopra, the actor shared, “They couldn’t afford me. They said if they had to pay me, then the budget of the film wouldn’t get sanctioned because it was a very experimental subject. They really didn’t know if it would land at all but it was a very compelling kind of product to make and so I said, ‘Yeah, I will do it for free.’”
When asked whether he has ever appeared in one of his previous projects without being paid, the actor said, "Ghar bhi chalana hai (I have to take care of my home as well)."
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After twenty years in the film industry, Shahid Kapoor has seen both great success and great failure. However, he is now riding high on the success of his first OTT series, ‘Farzi’.
Meanwhile, Shahid Kapoor and Kriti Sanon will co-star in an untitled love drama.
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