Skyrocketing film budgets have become a talking point in the film industry these days, and high remunerations to lead actors are cited by filmmakers as one of the major reasons for this. There are often reports that actors’ remunerations alone eat up 60 to 70 percent of a movie’s budget, leaving hardly any scope for other costs. However, Ayushmann Khurrana thinks he belongs to a different league altogether when it comes to charging fees.
In a recent interview with Komal Nahta on his YouTube channel, the Dream Girl star shared that he has always prioritized creativity and collaboration over monetary gain. When asked how many times he has raised his pay since starting his career over thirteen years ago, Ayushmann admitted that he does not keep track of such matters. “It has increased, of course. My management would know more about that. I genuinely have no idea,” he said. “I am a Punjabi man and very artistic by nature. I am the purest from inside. My right brain works more, the left side of the brain doesn’t work much,” he added with a laugh.
The National Award-winning actor also reminisced about an interesting incident while working with Sriram Raghavan for the 2018 thriller Andhadhun. Ayushmann had offered to work for a token amount of Re 1 before the film was released. “I told Sriram sir to pay me just Re 1. I just wanted to work with him,” he said. Fortunately, Andhadhun became a huge critical and box-office success, performing very well in India and overseas, including China. The actor got his dues later with the profits of the film, hinting at a backend deal model.
Such arrangements—where stars take a reduced upfront fee against a share of a film’s profits—are common among Bollywood megastars like Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, and Aamir Khan, who often serve as co-producers on films. Ayushmann said he shares a similar philosophy, emphasizing teamwork and financial balance.
“For me, Saraswati comes before Laxmi. I am a producer-friendly actor. I never go all out while asking for my rate. My first priority is for the film to work. If the film earns well, then one should be paid more. Everyone has to come together and take this decision,” he explained.
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In fact, Ayushmann is continuously very grounded and focuses on telling good stories amidst an industry that largely runs on numbers rather than stories.