In recent times, many producers, directors and actors have talked about actors with a large following, which leads to an increase in the budget of the film. Not to mention, many directors and industry insiders have spoken about stardom being out of reach. Now the actor Nana Patekar together with the director Prakash Jha they have also talked about it. The veteran actor will next be seen in Prakash Jha’s next ‘Sankalp’, in which he also stars Sanjay Kapoor. Known for directing films like ‘Jai Gangaajal’, ‘Satyagraha’ and ‘Raajneeti’, Jha explains why many of his recent projects have been released on streaming platforms instead of theatres. In response, he explained that today’s theater premieres depend on big stars, but working with them has become more and more complicated. Nana Patekar replied and said, “It is because earlier you spoke directly to a star but now it is not possible. Today we have to pass a lot of people to meet the star. To meet the star, you must first meet 100 people. You have to give the script to the star and then he will direct you whether you should make this film or not. Releasing on OTT is easy compared to this.”Nana further stated that the camaraderie that once existed between actors and directors seems to have disappeared with time. “Many times, I ask Prakash if this actor calls him, but then he tells me that the relationship between the actor and him is limited to the film only. Prakash tells me only me and Amitabh Bachchan called him.” Patekar further said, “Kaam ke liye nahi telefono karne ka. Bas aise hi puchne ke tu kaisa hai? Aaj subah maine Abhishek who called kiya Phone karke batayenge nahi ke yaad aa rahi hai toh pataa kaise chalega?” As Jha explained, the expanding network of managers and corporate structures around the agents is the main reason for the increase in expenses of the entourage. According to him, each layer adds to the overall cost. “All these layers that have been employed, corporate, management companies, creatives, managers, they all receive a salary and therefore have to show some work.”He added that these additional costs ultimately fall on the producers. Sharing an example, Jha said, “Today there is a supporting cast of 27-28 people, a new actor in the industry, who has worked in just one of his films, wants a big sequel. Uska aspiration hi yehi hai ke mere kitne aadmi saath ayenge.”The discussion also addressed the use of artificial intelligence in the selection of film scripts. The interviewer mentioned a case where an actor allegedly posted a script on ChatGPT and asked him to list his reasons for and against making the film. Reacting sharply to the anecdote, Nana put her fun and funny side on display and said, “Kyun tere kaan ke neeche do na lagaau? Iske dus reason bataa (We should ask AI about such people why we shouldn’t slap them? Give 10 reasons?” At this everyone burst into laughter. Sanjay Kapoor, who participated in the chat, said that he prefers to coordinate directly with people, rather than always going through handlers.
