Imran Khan shares massive fees of A-listers like Ranbir Kapoor, Ranveer Singh; exposes Bollywood's budget-driven casting

In a podcast, Imran Khan shared insights on Bollywood's casting based on budget rather than suitability and highlighted the high earnings of A-listers.

Actor Imran Khan is all set to make his comeback to the big screen with the upcoming film Happy Patel. In a recent conversation with Samdish on his podcast, the actor spoke about Bollywood’s casting process and also reflected on the massive pay cheques of A-list stars such as Ranbir Kapoor and Ranveer Singh.

Imran Khan reveals Ranbir Kapoor and Ranveer Singh don't earn less than ₹30 crore per film.

Imran Khan on Bollywood's casting approach

During the conversation, Imran revealed that Ajay Devgn, and not him, was the first choice for Matru Ki Bijli Ka Mandola. However, when Ajay exited the film during the preparation stage, Vishal Bhardwaj cast Imran instead.

Imran further claimed that Vishal did not cast him because he was the right fit for the role, but because casting him helped secure a certain budget for the film. Speaking about Bollywood’s casting process, he said, “The approach to casting is all based on budget, even now. It has nothing to do with the actor. Nobody cares whether you’re the right actor for the role. They’re just thinking, ‘How much money can I get with him?’ That’s how I ended up being cast in Matru. On my back, they could get an X amount of money.”

Imran Khan on the fees received by Bollywood A-listers

The actor was then asked how much A-listers earn per film, to which he replied, “If you’re an A-lister in theatrical films today, you’re not earning less than ₹30 crore per film. Anyone my age — Ranbir Kapoor, Ranveer Singh, Shahid Kapoor — they are not earning less than ₹30 crore. I would be surprised if any of them are earning less than that.”

He also questioned the pay gap between the lead actor and other cast and crew members, quipping that if one considers the scale at which a leading actor earns compared to everyone else working on a film, there would come a moment when one would stop and say, ‘hang on’ because it “won’t make sense” to pay one person so much.

Imran Khan’s upcoming film

Imran will next be seen in Happy Patel: Khatarnak Jasoos. Helmed by Vir Das and Kavi Shastri, the film also stars Vir Das, Amit Bhandari, Mithila Palkar and Sharib Hashmi. Aamir Khan will be making a special appearance. The film is scheduled to release in theatres on January 16, 2026.