A director whose last release was a big hit and a bankable actor who has delivered not one but a string of hits; when the two of them come together to co-produce a film, one would imagine that they would be spoilt for choice to pick one from the many studios lining up to associate with the film and get a piece of the action. Not so, as this duo is experiencing with their recently announced project.
And the reason for this is neither the set-up nor the subject of the film but simple economics. The problem is that both the director and the actor not only want the lion's share of the back-end but also expect to be paid their market price as remuneration. The studios they have been speaking to have tried to explain that this is not how it works - either they compromise on their fees or else on their profit share - but the director-actor pair insists that this is the only deal on the table. Hence, no deal!
Talk about wanting to have your cake and eat it too!
Arjun
Cricket
3