Veteran producer Ramesh Taurani has a direct message for Bollywood’s top stars: one flop should not freeze a career. Speaking with Komal Nahta, he and Kumar Taurani argued that the industry’s biggest names are signing too little and too cautiously.
From phone-call trust to flop panic
Ramesh Taurani recalled that in the olden days, a strong promotional push—hoardings, film magazines, TV and radio song play—made actors excited to sign with a music company. Stars would agree to a film over a phone call on a one-line story idea, sometimes without meeting. “Woh bharosa tha aur luckily, woh bharosa rang laaya,” he said, because that trust paid off when the films worked.
Kumar Taurani said today’s actors are “very panicky” about a film failing, and that they should continue working even after a couple of flops. His advice: sign at least 2-3 films a year and remain economical with producers. He added that the actors and director of Dhurandhar chose profit sharing, so their upfront fees were not high.
The ‘one flop’ mindset
Ramesh Taurani used a legal analogy to frame the fear. Courts would rather let many guilty people walk than punish one innocent; actors now seem to feel the same way about hits and flops: “Bhale 10 hit chhoot jaaye lekin 1 flop nahin chahiye!” In other words, many hits can miss, but one flop is unacceptable to them.
He added that this is short-term thinking. In the 90s and 2000s, there were fewer revenue options for stars; now they have stage shows, ads and endorsements, so they can afford to take more swings without their brand collapsing after one miss.
Why Akshay and Ajay are the model
Ramesh Taurani pointed to Akshay Kumar and Ajay Devgn, who he said deliver four films a year and have stayed strong for many years. He added that Drishyam The Conclusion is tracking well, Salman Khan continues to work with three films in two years, and he keeps telling Aamir Khan, “Bhai aap zyaada picturein karo.” Shah Rukh Khan’s King, he noted, will arrive three years after his last release.
A regular slate keeps actors in theatres, producers in business, and audiences in the habit of going to the movies.
What this means for fans and producers
A fuller slate from top stars would give exhibitors a steadier calendar and fans fewer long gaps between big releases. Taurani’s larger point is that flops are a short-term blip, while consistency builds long-term stardom.
- Actors can keep signing 2-3 films a year instead of pausing after one flop.
- Producers can manage budgets through profit-sharing deals, as on Dhurandhar.
- Fans benefit when major stars are visible on the big screen more often.
The conversation plays like a business-coach pep talk from a producer who remembers when stars said yes over a phone call. It is also a nudge to measure success not by avoiding every miss, but by keeping the machinery running.
Source: bollywoodHungama.com