John Abraham does not open up much and likes to keep to himself mostly, but whenever he does, he makes sure to make a point. The actor is articulate and never misses a chance to highlight issues that are relevant to the film industry. John succinctly summed up how his fellow actors are 'sucking the system dry' with the massive fees that they charge and the absolutely crazy entourage cost which he termed as 'mental'. John is not the first person to address the issue; earlier, Karan Johar and Farah Khan also spoke about it.
In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter India, John addressed the whole issue of 'heroes asking for ₹100 crore per day and their stylists' demanding ₹2 lakh per day', calling it absolutely mental. He asked his fellow actors to take a look and introspect the situation of an industry that, according to her, was "bleeding."
He said, "It's already hurting Hindi cinema. At this point in time, we shouldn't be paying people to act in films because we don't justify those huge budgets, the huge fees that we get paid. We can't load a film with entourage costs as well. It's ridiculous. I don't know if actors are thinking this way or is it their agent making them think differently. I don't get that space. I understand you are put in a bubble, but you can't be so daft. You need to get out and see the real world. If people are blowing sunshine from your backside, you need to wake up and smell the coffee. As an industry, we are really suffering."
John further added, "Actors should admit that we are down the deep black hole, and actors should go to the backend and work on the film. Actors should say that if the films make profit, we make profits because we have earned our millions. How much more will you suck the system dry? But again, you can't clap with one hand. There are producers who are willing to pay those obscene amounts as well."
This debate about the rising fees of actors and highly paid entourage has been in the news for a very long time. With films constantly failing at the box office, the debate is taking centre stage yet again, and people involved in the film industry are wondering how to cut costs.
In terms of work, John will next be seen in The Diplomat, which has been directed by Shivam Nair and will be releasing in theatres in March.
