Of late, soaring production costs due to the large entourages that accompany film stars has become a cause of concern for filmmakers. “I find it astonishing that producers pick up these crazy tabs,” says Shabana Azmi, comparing the scenario with the West, where the producers have a lot of control over such things.

The actor adds, “In Hollywood, I have never seen anything like this except for personal trainers. The main dress designers, hairdressers and makeup artists are all appointed by the producer’s team.”

Recently, film bodies, including the Indian Motion Pictures Producers Association and the Producers Guild of India, met with other film bodies and talent management agencies to discuss the soaring film budgets. A major area of concern was the large entourages accompanying actors.

Azmi recalls the time when she would travel in buses: “During the 1970s and 1980s, I only had a three-member team — a hairdresser, a makeup artist and a driver. In low-budget films, we had nobody. I would use my own clothes at times, the unit’s hair and makeup person and stayed at the same hotel as the unit.”

The 73-year-old goes on to recall an interesting incident from the shooting days of her 1983 film Mandi. “I remember (late actor) Smita Patil and I were given separate cars for the shooting of Mandi. In two days, we gave them up and travelled in the bus with all the actors, because they would have so much fun together, singing and playing games,” Azmi ends.