Chandan Shetty: Artistes should support producers and opt for revenue-sharing module
Rapper-actor Chandan Shetty firmly believes that the only way forward for the Kannada industry is for actors and technicians to collaborate on a revshare basis and not demand remuneration at the onset
Last Updated: 09.17 PM, Apr 26, 2025
Every now and then one hears of A-list actors taking on co-producer roles, which, in essence, means that they’ve not taken much by way of remuneration, but will take a pre-decided cut from the film’s theatrical and post-theatrical business. Most recently, the buzz in industry circles was that Kiccha Sudeep has been doing exactly that, with unconfirmed reports stating that the actor took home the theatrical profit, while the producer got the post-theatrical rights.
This, according to popular rapper-actor and Pogaru hitmaker Chandan Shetty, should be the way forward for the Kannada industry, given that theatrical business is a dicey affair these days, with no guarantee if audiences will turn up or not. “The equation of making movies has to change. Artistes and technicians need to support producers. Earlier, the practice was for cast and crew to take their respective remuneration packages before and during the making of the film, leaving the producer to then bear the outcome, whether it is a box office success or failure,” said Chandan, at the trailer launch of his new film Suthradaari, which will be in theatres on May 9, 2025.
The problem with the earlier system, adds Chandan, is that if a film fails to take off, the entire financial burden falls on the producer, many of who, having burnt their hands at production, never ventured into the territory again. Also, the trouble with fixed remunerations is that a major chunk of the budget goes towards paying artistes and crew, leaving little money for actual production, which affects the quality of the making. Chandan, therefore, advocates that everyone associated with a film ought to take a basic amount at first, and then work on a revenue-share-basis, partaking in the returns from theatrical and non-theatrical business.
This, he says, will allow producers to allocate larger sums towards production and marketing, which will go a long way in ensuring that no one is left empty handed in the long run.