Bollywood Exposes: A-Lister Stars’ Fees and Showy Casting Exposed, Imran Khan Takes the plunge

Actor Imran Khan is all set to return to the big screen with the upcoming film “Happy Patel”. In a recent interview on Samdish’s podcast, the actor spoke about the casting of actors in Bollywood and the exorbitant fees charged by A-list stars like Ranbir Kapoor and Ranveer Singh.

During the conversation, Imran Khan revealed that the original choice for “Mataru Ki Bijli Ka Mandola” was Ajay Devgan and not himself. When Ajay Devgn left the film during production, Vishal Bhardwaj cast Imran in his place.

How is casting done in Bollywood?

Emraan further claimed that Vishal chose him because he was perfect for the role, while his selection was to help the film’s budget. Talking about Bollywood casting, he said, “Even today, casting is completely based on budget. It has nothing to do with the actor. Nobody cares whether you are right for the role or not. They just think, ‘How much money can I make from this?’ That’s how I got cast in ‘Mataru Ki Bijli Ka Mandola’. They were able to make a living from me.”

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Talking about the remuneration of Bollywood’s A-list stars, the actor was asked how much A-listers earn for a film, to which he replied, “If you are A-listers in theatrical films these days, you don’t earn less than Rs 30 crore for a film. I would be surprised if any actor of my age – Ranbir Kapoor, Ranveer Singh, Shahid Kapoor – earns less than Rs 30 crore.”

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He also questioned the disparity in remuneration between the lead actor and other cast and crew members. He quipped that if one considers the ratio of the lead actor’s earnings to that of all the other actors in the film, there will come a moment when one stops and says, ‘Wait a minute’ because it is not wise to pay so much to one person.

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Imran Khan’s next movie coming in 2026

Emraan will next be seen in “Happy Patel: Dangerous Detective”. Directed by Veer Das and Kavi Shastri, the film also stars Veer Das, Amit Bhandari, Mithila Palkar and Sharib Hashmi in lead roles. Aamir Khan will play a small role in this film. The film is slated to hit theaters on January 16, 2026.