The production cost of a film shoots up by at least Rs 2 crore on account of the payments made to the personal staff of the star-over and above his/ her fee. At the rate of 50 per cent recovery, for a producer from the box office, this means that a film must fetch on additional business of Rs.4 crore just to recover the costs of the assistants to the star.

An average film is shot over 70 days, and post-production it requires 20-25 days for dubbing and production. In short, the payments to assistants continue for 90-95 days. All payments are on per day basis.

A makeup man and hair stylist come for Rs. 1 lac per day. The boy of the star who manages his personal belongings cost Rs. 5000 per day. The costume assistant charges Rs. 5000 per day. The vanity van costs Rs. 10,000 per day, and Rs. 20,000 per day if the star brings his own vanity van. The total incremental costs are Rs. 1.25 lac per star. Assuming a film has 2 stars,the costs add up to Rs. 2 crores.

The agent/ manager of the star accompanies him on the shoot. His flight expenses and five star hotel stay are paid by the producer. If the driver and make up man go to five different places for promotion in one day, they charge five times for each place. A driver may earn Rs. 25000 per day.