A lot of producers have been blaming the escalating entourage costs for the rising budgets of films which lead to odds being stacked against the box office prospects. Stars have been increasingly demanding producers to cover the costs of their extensive entourage, which includes multiple spotboys, hair and makeup teams, drivers, and even chefs and trainers.Jackie Shroff, who has been in the industry for over four decades, recently weighed in on this debate. While he claimed that he usually has only a spotboy along with him, he believes every star has their own demands which should be put on the table while signing the contract. And once the producer has agreed to meet those demands, they shouldn’t backtrack or complain later.“Talk to the production house first that you have these many people in your staff. An actor usually has a makeup person, hairdresser, and a spotboy. If they don’t bring a spotboy along, they can get one from the producer’s company. If there are 17-18 artists on a set, they all have their own requirements,” Shroff told Vickey Lalwani.“Maybe they also have someone who cooks for them. Their habits have changed and the entourage has grown bigger. But when they talk to the producer, they should discuss how much cost they can cover for their entourage and how much the producer can. That combination should be there,” added Shroff.“It could be a shared cost, but it depends on them. If they make a very expensive film, have four artists, and those four artists have around 12 entourage members, I can afford them as a producer. But the producers who can’t afford that much should ask the artists to reduce that cost and then divide the costs. But this doesn’t usually happen these days,” said Shroff.He claimed that the producers shouldn’t whine after committing to the costs. “Don’t sign them otherwise! If you sign an artist happily, and you know their entourage is there, don’t cry later! Baad mein kyu ro raha hai. Ro kyu raha hai. Itna kama raha hai (Why cry later? Or why cry at all? You’re earning so much),” argued Shroff.Also Read — Jackie Shroff wants to rent out his childhood chawl room, but landlord isn’t allowing: ‘I still visit that place, stand in the balcony and eat paan’Story continues below this adLast month, renowned hairstylist Aalim Hakim pointed out that several of his colleagues often armtwist the producer to increase their fees by three times once their associated star delivers a hit. “What does a technician have to do with a film becoming a superhit? They’ve just cut the actor’s hair. The actor has given a good performance, the director has made a good film, which is why the film becomes a hit. Their actor scoring a Rs 500 crore film shouldn’t increase the hairstylist’s fees just because the actor has become comfortable with them,” he said.Click here to follow Screen Digital on YouTube and stay updated with the latest from the world of cinema.© IE Online Media Services Pvt LtdTags:Jackie Shroff