Post flops, Saif takes big pay cut for Sujoy, Reema's films

After a hat-trick of box-office duds, Saif Ali Khan is open to renegotiating his remuneration, says that right now the quality of films is more important to him than the money.

The last month has been particularly traumatic for Bollywood with as many as five films with an A-list cast, taking a drubbing at the box-office. From Akshay Kumar's The Shaukeens and Ranveer Singh's Kill Dill to Emraan Hashmi's Ungli, none of the projects have managed to live up to the audience's expectations. Buzz in trade circles is that many actors are taking a hefty pay cut - in some cases, nearly 40 per cent - while producers are slashing budgets by half to make projects financially viable in this uncertain market.

One such actor is Saif Ali Khan, whose last release definitely did not have a happy ending, commercially. Mirror has learnt that after the film's dismal opening, the makers of his upcoming ventures are exercising caution, given that this completes a hattrick of flops for the actor -- starting with Bullett Raja, Humshakals and Happy Ending.

Ekta Kapoor is reworking the logistics of the Sujoy Ghoshdirected screen adaptation of the Japanese bestseller, The Devotion of Suspect X, starring Saif. Its budget has been scaled down by almost one-third and the actor's remuneration is also being substantially reworked.

Ditto Reema Kagti's next, starring Saif and Kangana Ranaut.

Admitting that there has indeed been a fluctuation in his fee, Saif told Mirror that money is not a priority at the moment. He said: "Prices go up and down. Right now the quality of work is more important to me than money. Next year should be about good roles."

Stressing on the need for stars to take a reality check so that investments can be recovered, trade analyst Komal Nahta reasoned, "If a star charges Rs 25-30 crore, he should at least ensure a Rs 20 crore opening which is not happening. Why just Saif, every star needs to reconsider his pay-package! All of them know where they are going wrong, but they choose to look the other way. The flops should be eye-openers." Another trade analyst, Amod Mehra, however opined that it is not the star's salary but the content that has failed. "Yes, the money they charge contributes to a movie's failure, but that's not the only factor. We've seen some terribly scripted films recently," he pointed out.

Ramesh Taurani, the producer of Saif-starrer Race and Race 2, who recently had monetary differences with the actor, endorsed Mehra's view. "Saif's films haven't worked because the content wasn't good. But he's a huge star and will bounce back with a hit," he stated.

Commenting on the same, Kabir Khan, who is directing the mega-budget action thriller Phantom, starring Saif and Katrina Kaif said: "I cast Saif in Phantom because he is perfect for the role. Irrespective of hits or flops, he is a terrific actor and that, not numbers, will always be a director's priority as far as casting is concerned."

Ritesh Sidhwani, who is producing Kagti's film, agreed with Kabir: "We have full faith that Saif will deliver, just like he did in Dil Chahta Hai. We start filming with Kangana and him in January."