Kamal Hassan on star’s remuneration

Kamal Haasan is not only known for his versatile roles, but also for adroitly slipping into the skin of the characters he plays. Kamal, who has received several awards and appreciation for his contribution to cinema, is concerned about the importance attached to the Oscars. “Indian filmmakers shouldn’t crave for the Oscar. We have to improve the quality of cinema and have to create a higher standard than the Oscar awards. I hope to see a day when Hollywood movie makers take pride in winning an Indian award,” he explains. 

At a time when film pundits are urging filmmakers to reduce filmmaking budgets, big stars like Rajinikanth are part of huge budget films. What does he have to say about that? “Endhiran is successful not because of the content, but due to the marketing strategy and of course, Rajini is a saleable star. High budget films are good as long as they have solid content,” Kamal points out.

While producers and directors have been demanding a cut in remuneration of stars citing it as reason for high movie budgets, will he reduce his remuneration? “I will reduce my remuneration if I am assured that I’ll get pension after retirement. We are paid the fee in tandem with the market. If we don’t earn that kind of revenue, will producers pay us such remuneration?” he asks.