Popular director Rajiv Rai is gearing up for a comeback as his directorial, Zora, is all set to release on August 8. As part of its promotions, he spoke to YouTuber Ujjawal Trivedi about his older films and how much he paid actors then.
Rajiv Rai CONFESSES: “Paid Rs. 4-5 lakhs to Akshay Kumar for Mohra, Rs. 50,000 to Madhuri Dixit for Tridev; maximum I paid any actor was Bobby Deol – Rs. 30 lakhs”
Rajiv Rai said, “In Mohra (1994), I paid Akshay Kumar Rs. 4-5 lakhs. Sunny Deol ji ko bhi maine (fees) lakhon mein diya hoga. I guess it was Rs. 8 lakhs. In Tridev (1989), I paid Rs. 50,000 to Madhuri Dixit. It was very sweet of her.”
He added, “I like my actors a lot and directors are nobody without their actors. My father (Gulshan Rai) taught me, ‘Don’t waste a lot of money on actors’. After all, we used to make multi-starrers. He told me, ‘Don’t over-pay. Koi matlab nahin hai. But cast good actors’. Later, he stated, ‘Tum itni mehnat kyun kar rahe ho? Cast reputed actors. They’ll get your work. That’s the casual attitude daddy had’.”
He also revealed, “The maximum amount I paid to an actor is Bobby Deol in Gupt (1997). It must be about Rs. 30 lakhs. I don’t remember exactly. Believe it or not, I don’t think I have paid any actor more than Rs. 30 lakhs. You can come to my office and check the contracts.”
Rajiv Rai continued, “Now, how do I cast actors? Many of them who play villains are my friends. They agreed to work for free (in Zora). But I’ll have to spend money accommodating them in five-star hotels. Also, I’ll need to spend money on air tickets. I took all of them on the train (to the shooting location). I told them, ‘Agar aapko plane mein aana hai, toh (ticket khud) kharid lo’. I also mentioned in the contract that only veg food will be provided, they need to shoot for a particular number of hours, the hotel will be of a certain type, they’ll have to devote 2-3 months to the shoot, etc. Everyone was new. They were excited and didn’t complain. After all, inko koi leta nahin hai. Today, Bollywood doesn’t give them a proper chance.”
More Pages: Mohra Box Office Collection
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