Subhash Ghai Says Today's Actors Put Money First

Filmmaker Subhash Ghai has said that actors of the current generation put money ahead of art, recalling that stars in his own films took only 40 percent of their usual fees. He made the comments in an interview with Screen, which the Hindustan Times, The Times of India and NDTV reported on Oct. 16. His view is one man's opinion and the coverage does not contain any rebuttal.

What he said

The Hindustan Times quotes Ghai: "Commerce has taken over. Today, the children want to earn more money, and it's less about the art. During our time, the actors wanted to be artistes, and thought money will eventually come. Nobody would wait for the money. They would sign a film based on the director, the story and the character. Most of the stars in my movies have taken only 40 per cent of the price because they were interested in the character and the story."

He added a comparison. In the paper's quote, "Today, if you ask any actor to take only 40 per cent fees, four of their managers will intervene, and 3 PRs will come in together to endorse the actor as a celebrity." He also said actors now have other sources of income beyond films, but that "they are seasonal; the craze dies down after 3-4 years."

Who is speaking

Ghai has directed Hero, Khalnayak, Pardes and Taal, among other films, and has worked with Anil Kapoor, Madhuri Dixit, Shah Rukh Khan and Aishwarya Rai, according to the Hindustan Times. That background explains why his remarks about fees and craft draw attention, but it does not make them a statement of industry fact.

A conversation that overlaps

The Hindustan Times links Ghai's comments to an exchange on Koffee With Karan Season 9, where Karan Johar noted that 2026 saw successful films featuring Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgn, Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan and argued that their generation remains relevant. Salman answered, as quoted, "We (our generation) are interested in our work. We want to get out of our houses and do good work. Sometimes, it turns out right, sometimes it does not."

Salman also said, in the same report, "The films that we make are films that every Hindustani would be comfortable to see with the whole family."

What the claim does and does not show

Ghai's statement is about preferences and incentives. He does not name any actor, and the coverage does not cite any fee data. The 40 percent figure is his recollection of arrangements in his own films. Fee structures in Hindi cinema are rarely public, which makes such claims hard to test.

The comments also reflect a wider debate about the business of cinema, including the role of managers and public relations teams. The coverage presents it as his view and gives no sign that any actor has responded.

What we could not confirm

We could not confirm the 40 percent figure, which is his recollection and which no trade source in the coverage verifies. We could not confirm which actors he meant, because he named none. We did not read the original Screen interview and relied on the Hindustan Times quotation, with the Times of India and NDTV as corroborating headlines only. We did not find a response from any actor or from the actors' representatives. The Koffee With Karan exchange is reported by the Hindustan Times and we did not watch the episode.

Sources

*Cover photo: Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Wikimedia Commons, *[*https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Director_Subhash_Ghai_at_a_press_conference,_during_the_47th_International_Film_Festival_of_India_%28IFFI-2016%29,_in_Panaji,_Goa_on_November_27,_2016.jpg*](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Director_Subhash_Ghai_at_a_press_conference,_during_the_47th_International_Film_Festival_of_India_%28IFFI-2016%29,_in_Panaji,_Goa_on_November_27,_2016.jpg)* (GODL-India).*