Dedication, passion, talent, and hard work are 4 important ingredients to success. These 4 traits are greater than anything in this world. Acting is a profession in which all these traits are required in equal proportions, and you can live the life of your dreams once you step into Bollywood and have a fairly good amount of income as well.
As a lot of money is invested in a movie project, there are times when some actors voluntarily deny working for money just for the right cause. They don’t even charge a single penny to work in a particular film.
Here is a list of the Bollywood actors who worked without charging any fee and gave blockbuster movies
Irrfan Khan– Road To Ladakh (Bollywood)
Despite not-so-favorable climatic conditions, Irrfan Khan worked on the 38-minute short film Road To Ladakh by the National Award-winning filmmaker Ashvin Kumar without taking any fee. The movie was later nominated for Oscars.
Ashvin Kumar who dropped out of London Film School had no budget to pay the talented actor. He asked Irrfan to support the film and Irrfan did without charging a penny. Ashvin says that he feels cheated by Irrfan’s passing away. he once said,
“I remember when we were in Delhi before leaving for Ladakh, that evening Bhai had met with an accident. He injured his wrist. He had all the medical reasons to back as I was not paying him, and he voluntarily supported the film. But he said, ‘I promised you; I will keep my words. The more I got to know him, my respect for him as an individual amplified. He did not know back then that he had high altitude sickness, and we discovered that once we went to Ladakh. He was sick, with an injured wrist, and living under extreme weather conditions inside a tent-like all of us. But he did not give up. He constantly supported us.”
Meena Kumari – Pakeezah (Bollywood Blockbuster)
Astonishing actress Meena Kumari didn’t charge any money for her last movie Pakeezah, which became a blockbuster.
In 1972 when Pakeezah was released, actress Meena Kapoor only took Re.1 as a token for her iconic role. Sadly, she died a few days after the release of the movie due to liver cirrhosis. Meena Kumari is still loved and known to many people for her memorable role.
Shahid Kapoor – Haider
Shahid Kapoor decided to do Vishal Bhardwaj’s Haider for free to cover the production cost.
Vishal Bhardwaj later disclosed everything regarding the financial issues which were taken care of by him and Shahid Kapoor. He stated that Haider was a film that needed a lot of assets and shooting in Kashmir makes it a lot worse. From lavish pieces to all the cast, it was hard work. He also said they planned to keep it a secret but now it’s finally out.
Nawazuddin Siddiqui – Manto
Actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui took only Re.1 for his titular role in Manto.
In the film Manto, Nawazuddin Siddiqui essayed the role of an Urdu writer, Saadat Hussain. He decided to play the role in just Re.1. Other actors in the film include Rishi Kapoor, Gurdas Maan, Javed Akhter, Rajshree Deshpande, Swanand Kirkire, and Ranvir Shorey, who did the movie for free. In a statement to IANS, Nandita said,
“This is the character that an actor would give an arm and leg for. But to not charge even a nominal fee is very gracious of Nawaz,”
Deepika Padukone – Om Shanti Om (Bollywood Debut)
Deepika Padukone didn’t take any money for her debut movie Om Shanti Om.
Being her debut film with Shah Rukh Khan itself. Deepika didn’t charge a single rupee for this movie.
Rajkummar Rao – Trapped
Rajkummar Rao acted in Vikramaditya Motwane’s Trapped for ‘free‘. This movie is a classic thriller and is very well acted by Rajkummar Rao. Rajkummar Rao also said that some movies are not meant for the box office, some are meant for life. Vikramaditya Motwane’s Trapped is truly a masterpiece.
Salman Khan – Tees Maar Khan, Ajab Prem ki Gajab Kahani, Om Shanti Om, Son of Sardaar
Being one of the highest-paid Bollywood actors in the industry and being such a big celebrity, Salman Khan did not even charge a nominal amount for all the cameos he has done.
Nawazuddin Siddiqui – Haraamkhor
Nawazuddin Siddiqui charged Re. 1 as a token amount for his Bollywood film Haraamkhor opposite Shweta Tripathi.
Keeping in mind all the limitations of this film’s budget, Nawazuddin Siddiqui played an excellent role for just Re.1. Guneet Monga the producer of the film Haraamkhor said,
“Nawaz and everyone on the project worked on minimal money or no money at all. Ours is a passion project, and we did everything we could to get the film made. Nawaz loved the script and insisted on working pro bono on the film, understanding the budget’s limitations overall. He was sweet to only charge Rupee 1 from us literally as a token of his efforts. His support and work made the film possible!”
Sonam Kapoor – Bhaag Milkha Bhaag
Sonam Kapoor charged only Rs.11 for playing Biro in Bhaag Milkha Bhaag.
Rakeysh Omprakash shared his opinions about Sonam Kapoor since they’ve worked together from Delhi 6, he stated that
“Sonam Kapoor benevolently accepted to play a guest appearance for a princely sum of ₹11 only for her brief portrayal of Biro. She chose to accept ₹11. She had a special appearance in the film. Both of us shared an amazing journey with Delhi-6 before that. She told me that she needed just 7 days for the shoot, and she praised us for trying to say something so beautiful about the partition of this country and the spirit of Milkha Singh. So she wanted to contribute to the film as well. It was very nice of her.”
Amitabh Bachchan – Black
Amitabh Bachchan did Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Black without charging any fee. Big B shared his view in February 2017 when the movie Black completed 12 years at the box office. He revealed how he felt working with Sanjay Leela Bhansali.
He said in his blog,
“I had just wanted to work with Sanjay, after seeing all the other works he had done… And when the opportunity came, it was quite overwhelming. I did not take any salary for the film… Just being a part of such an enterprise was sufficient fees!”.
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