From not cracking jokes on a specific community to fixed-shooting hours, here are some unique clauses that stars include in their agreements before signing on the dotted line
Meena Iyer (DNA; November 13, 2017)

God alone knows why everyone blamed ex-Censor Chief Pahlaj Nihalani for all the evils in their movies. Why did they say that Pahlaj’s insensitivity and his demands for cuts interfered with their creative pursuits?

Shouldn’t filmmakers be looking closer home and seeing who the real culprits are? Yes, more often than not, it is the actors who with their demands and conditions often put a spade in the script. “I will not wear a two-piece suit,” or “I will not show cleavage,” are just some of the lesser evils.

SOME CLAUSES ARE EVEN MORE BIZARRE
A production controller of a Rs 200 crore recent hit says that stars put bizarre conditions in their contracts. And you cannot make them see reason and say their terms interfere with the film’s creativity because they’re not about to listen. A director can make way for cinematic liberties in his screenplay but when it comes to dealing with the actors, well, the star is usually the boss.

DILJIT, APPARENTLY, WON’T CRACK JOKES ON HIS COMMUNITY
On conditions of anonymity (otherwise, he will definitely find himself out of work), the source continues, “Punjabi superstar Diljit Dosanjh makes it clear in the very beginning that he will not crack any jokes on the Sikh community in his films. This is understandable because it’s a sensitive issue. But he still wants this cleared right at the start. Diljit will also not allow for kissing on screen.”

DO NOT LAND A BLOW ON MY FACE, EVEN BY MISTAKE
The dapper and agile Vidyut Jammwal agrees to play the antagonist, with a heavy price tag though. His contract states that nobody, including the hero, will land a punch on his face, even by mistake.

BIG STARS HAVE CONDITIONS, TOO
The agitated source continued to cite many such examples. Now, it is understandable that Diljit being a proud Sikh himself is uncomfortable recounting jokes pertaining to his community, even if it’s in jest. But some of the other conditions that stars put forward are ridiculous. “But then, that’s why they are stars,” says another trade observer. “After all, they have the power to assert themselves — be it right or wrong,” he adds.

THERE ARE SOME EXCEPTIONS TO THE RULE
Bollywood superstar Ajay Devgn says, “My contracts are plain and simple. Except saying that I will not shoot on Sundays (unless a film is on completion) and perhaps not shoot for more than eight to 10 hours a day, the rest is worked out with the filmmaker on mutual consent. There is no need to put it down on paper.”

NO SHOOTING WITH BODY DOUBLES, UNLESS I’M PRESENT
Tabu admits, “My contracts specify that no body double will be used to shoot any intimate scenes or anything that is unaesthetic.”

DIDN’T KISS EARLIER, BUT NOW, WHAT THE HECK!
Shah Rukh Khan’s earlier contracts clearly said that he wouldn’t kiss on screen. But he broke that twice over when he locked lips with Katrina Kaif in Jab Tak Hai Jaan and more recently with Anushka Sharma in Jab Harry Met Sejal. In fact, his kiss became the talking point for SRK fans, who loved it. However, SRK still doesn’t ride a horse in films. The actor had earlier said, “A horse once galloped off with me flapping helplessly on it and I have had a ‘no horse-riding’ clause embedded in my contracts ever since.”

NO DRUGS EVEN IN HIS CINEMA?
Recently, one heard that Salman Khan didn’t want to mess with drugs in his films, even if the medium is make-believe. He, apparently, asked the director of one of his upcoming films to replace the smuggling of drugs with smuggling of diamonds. Said a unit hand, “Salman doesn’t want to give out any wrong messages through his cinema. He is clear about what his upcoming films should say.”

WILL NOT WORK FOR LONGER THAN EIGHT HOURS
Akshay Kumar’s contracts are also stringent. The actor’s workday doesn’t exceed eight hours and he usually wraps a film in 45 odd days. He doesn’t work on Sundays and is clear that his work-shift will be a 9 am to 5 pm one. Since he’s an early-to-bed, early-to-rise star, he doesn’t make any allowances for producers who mess with his routine. And the director of his film must always be present on the set he is on, even if there are multiple units at work.”

A LEADING PRODUCTION HOUSE TIES UP THEIR TALENT FOR A LONGISH PERIOD
A leading production house that has given a break to some of the brightest young stars of today, is known to have their talent tied up with them for a longish period. So what happens in this term? Well, the studio boss decides the remuneration of his actors, his creative team goes through their scripts, even if the movies are being made by other studios and the actors can give a nod to the outsider’s film only if their Godfather gives his approval. Wait, there is more, the studio boss also collects a commission from his wards. The unanimous view is that the talent from this pool is the most professional.