Rajit Kapur says actors are exploited, made to work for free in Bollywood: 'You won't get any work if...'

The discussion about actors' high entourage cost and exploitation continues to dominate in the film industry. Recently, veteran actor Rajit Kapur talked about how while the stars are paid 50% of the film's budget

In a recent interview with Samdish on his YouTube channel, Rajit Kapur talked about the lack of a system is the biggest reason behind the pay disparity. He said, “There is no system in place. The casting agencies came only five years ago. Earlier, directors and assistant directors would call for actors who would be sitting there, waiting for three days. You just choose and select. There’s no person who is ready to fight for an actor’s money. Even today there is exploitation. Even if you deserve Rs 20,000, they will say, ‘If you wanna do this, do it for Rs 10,000. Otherwise, there are a lot of people waiting for one opportunity.’ It happens till date.”

He further added, "You think its professional now, because its packaged like that, but it is not. In corporate offices, employees have to be paid their salaries within 7 days or maximum 15 days. But actors are not paid for up to 90 days. What do they do? If you will stand up against a producer, there is a possibility of you not getting any work. That exploitation still exists.”

The actor further claimed that supporting actors are made to work for free and said, "He added, “We have the discussion in the open that ‘we are paying stars 50% of the film’s budget’ and for your supporting cast, ‘sir, we don’t have money.’ I have heard this line, so I was like, ‘Thank you, when you have the money, call me. Don’t waste my time.’ I have done that.”

Rajit Kapur is best known for his roles in hit Bollywood films like Raazi, Uri The Surgical Strike, Kick, Rocketry: The Nambi Effect and more. He said that OTT has certainly expanded opportunities, but that doesn't mean that exploitation has ended. He further claimed that while Foreign technicians are being paid whopping amounts, there are actors who not even getting fair compensation and some of them are simply working for free because they are grateful to showcase their talent.

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