Passion is greater than anything in this world. Acting is a profession where actors receive their fair share of income. Some of the great actors have also become co-producers and producers just by putting in a little effort. But it also takes passion to be the best at something.
Since a lot of money is invested in a film project, there have been a few times when some actors have voluntarily decided to charge almost nothing as compensation for the good cause.
Here is a list of Bollywood actors who worked for next to nothing or negligible amount but the movies were successful at box office,
1. Irfan Khan – Road to Ladakh
Despite difficult climatic conditions, Irrfan Khan worked in the 38-minute short film Road to Ladakh by National award-winning filmmaker Ashvin Kumar for free. The film was subsequently nominated for an Oscar.
Ashvin Kumar, who dropped out of London Film School, had no budget to pay the veteran actor. He asked Irrfan to support the film, which he did without charging a penny. Ashvin says he feels cheated with Irrfan leaving. When approached by a news agency, he once said,
“I remember when we were in Delhi before leaving for Ladakh, that night Bhai had an accident. He injured his wrist. He had every medical reason to pull out because I wasn’t paying him, and he voluntarily supported the film. But he said, ‘I promised you, I’ll keep my words. The more I got to know him, the more my respect for him as an individual grew. He didn’t know at the time that he had altitude sickness, and we found out that once we went to Ladakh. He was sick, injured in his wrist and living in extreme weather conditions inside a tent like all of us. But he didn’t give up. He constantly supported us.
Legendary actress Meena Kumari didn’t ask for money for her latest movie Pakeezahwhich has become a classic.
In 1972 when Pakeezah has been freed. Actress Meena Kapoor only took Re.1 as a sign of his iconic role. Unfortunately, she died a few days after the film’s release from cirrhosis of the liver. Meena Kumari is still loved and known by many people for her mesmerizing role.
3. Shahid Kapoor – Haider
Shahid Kapoor agreed to make Vishal Bhardwaj’s Haider for free to cover the cost of production.
Vishal Bhardwaj then opened up about the financial issues that were taken care of by him and Shahid Kapoor. He stated that Haider was a film that needed a lot of upside and filming in Kashmir makes it much worse. From the lavish parts to all the actors, it was hard work. He also said they plan to keep it a secret, but now it’s finally out.
4. Nawazuddin Siddiqui – Manto
Actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui was only charged Re.1 for her leading role in Manto.
In the movie Manto, Nawazuddin Siddiqui played 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 made the film for free. In a statement to IANS, Nandita said:
“This is the character an actor would donate an arm and a leg for. But not charging even a nominal fee is very gracious of Nawaz,”
5. Deepika Padukone– Om Shanti Om
Deepika Padukone didn’t charge anything for her debut movie Om Shanti Om.
Being his first film with King Khan himself. Deepika did not load only one rupee for this movie.
6. Rajkummar Rao – Trap
Rajkummar Rao did Vikramaditya Motwane’s Trapped for ‘free‘. This film is a classic thriller and is very well played by Rajkummar Rao. Rajkummar Rao said that some movies are not for the box office, some are for life. Vikramaditya Motwane Trap is such a brilliant movie.
7. Salman Khan – Tees Maar Khan, Ajab Prem ki Gajab Kahani, Om Shanti Om and Son of Sardaar
Being one of the highest paid Bollywood actors in the industry and being such a huge star, Salman Khan did not load a single penny for any cameo he did.
Nawazuddin Siddiqui charged Re. 1 as a symbolic amount for his film Haramkhor alongside Shweta Tripathi.
Working on a voluntary basis and understanding all the limitations of this film’s budget, Nawazuddin Siddiqui played an excellent role for just Re.1. Guneet Monga the film producer Haramkhor said,
“Nawaz and everyone else on the project worked with minimal money or no money at all. Our project is a passionate project and we did everything to make the film happen. Nawaz loved the script and insisted on volunteering on the film, understanding the limitations of the budget as a whole. He was kind to only charge us 1 rupee literally as a token of his effort. His support and hard work made the film possible!
9. Sonam Kapoor– Bhaag Milkha Bhaag
Sonam Kapoor billed only Rs.11 for playing at Biro in Bhaag Milkha Bhaag.
Rakeysh Omprakash shared his thoughts on Sonam Kapoor since they have worked together since Delhi 6he stated in his autobiography that
“Sonam Kapoor graciously agreed to play a guest appearance for a princely sum of ₹11 just for his brief portrayal of Biro. She chose to accept ₹11. She had a special appearance in the film. Before that, we both shared an amazing trip with Delhi-6. She told me she only needed 7 days for the shoot, and she praised us for trying to say something so beautiful about the score of this country and the spirit of Milkha Singh . So she wanted to contribute to the film as well. It was very nice of him. »
10. Amitabh Bachchan – Black
Amitabh Bachchan portrayed Sanjay Leela Bhansali Black for ‘free‘. Big B shared his perspective in February 2017 when the film Black completed 12 years at the box office. He shared his thoughts on working with Sanjay Leela Bhansali and working for free.
He said in his blog,
“I just wanted to work with Sanjay, after seeing all the other work he had done… And when the opportunity came it was pretty overwhelming. I didn’t take a salary for the film… The mere fact of being part of such a company was enough pay!.
