The exorbitant remuneration charged by leading male actors in Bollywood has been a much-discussed issue in recent times, especially after films headlined by A-listers recorded low openings this year. Recently, when director-producer Karan Johar shared his views on the topic, filmmaker Zoya Akhtar highlighted how he has been a part of the problem himself.

KJo insisted on the need for male stars to reassess their remuneration during a directors’ roundtable conducted by The Hollywood Reporter India, when Akhtar interjected him, saying, “They are not going to know. But Karan, you have to just stop paying. That’s it.”

On his part, Johar said that he has stopped the practice now. Recalling how every leading man quoted high prices for starring in this year’s release Kill, he shared, “Every star asked me for the same money that the budget was for. I was like, ‘How can I pay you? When the budget (of the film) is Rs. 40 crore, you’re asking for Rs. 40 crore? Are you guaranteeing the film will do Rs. 120 crore?’ So finally, I took a new boy (actor Lakshya), and he was an ‘outsider,’ I have to say it.”