Filmmaker Abhishek Chaubey recently shared some interesting insights about his work on films like Ishqiya and Udta Punjab. During a session at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI), he revealed that stars like Alia Bhatt, Kareena Kapoor, Vidya Balan, and others agreed to work for less than their usual market fees.
Stars Took Pay Cuts: Abhishek Chaubey
In these films, while the budgets were not extremely low, the actors chose to take a pay cut to be part of the projects. Abhishek mentioned that despite having big names in the cast, the stars understood the importance of keeping the costs down for these films to succeed.
The director explained that both Ishqiya (starring Vidya Balan, Naseeruddin Shah, and Arshad Warsi) and Udta Punjab (featuring Shahid Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Kareena Kapoor, and Diljit Dosanjh) were not low-budget films but were still able to keep expenses in check thanks to the actors’ willingness to reduce their fees.
Abhishek Chaubey has a lot of experience working with small-budget films. He began his career with the film Makdee, which had a modest budget of only Rs 40 lakh. He also talked about how his experience working with renowned filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj taught him the value of being disciplined with film budgets and resources.
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Abhishek also shared his journey of making A Death in the Gunj, which was made with a budget of Rs 4-4.5 crore. Despite the tight budget, the film turned a profit, proving that creativity and financial discipline can go hand in hand.
Through these experiences, Chaubey emphasized that keeping the budget under control and maintaining discipline were key factors in making successful films, even if they didn’t have huge budgets.
This move by the stars to reduce their fees highlights their commitment to these films, where they trusted the director’s vision and wanted to be a part of something special, even if it meant earning less. It also shows how actors and filmmakers in the industry are sometimes willing to sacrifice their usual paychecks for projects they truly believe in.
Abhishek Chaubey’s approach to filmmaking, balancing creative freedom with financial responsibility, has earned him respect in the industry, and it’s evident that many actors share that respect and willingness to collaborate on these unique, story-driven films.
