Suniel Shetty on why Bollywood has lost its multi-starrer magic: ‘Actors today are insecure, their prices have skyrocketed'

Suniel Shetty, a stalwart of Hindi cinema with over three decades of experience and more than 100 films to his name, is known for his candid takes on the film industry. In a recent interview with Bollywood Bubble, the actor shared his concerns about the fading trend of multi-starrer films in Bollywood and the growing insecurities among today’s actors.“They are insecure,” Suniel said bluntly when asked why actors don’t collaborate on ensemble films anymore. “And this insecurity stems from the fact that the box office isn’t performing well. So I think you should bring your confidence and act together, starting with films that work. Try to understand that the audience is looking for that, not necessarily just you.”‘Sky-high actor fees make multi-starrers unviable’Suniel also pointed to the financial constraints that have made it increasingly difficult to mount films with multiple stars. “At the same time, the prices of actors have skyrocketed, making it very difficult to put together a multi-starrer; you can’t recover the costs,” he explained.The actor said that this combination of economic impracticality and personal insecurity has made the industry more risk-averse. “So, with the rise of math—meaning the economics—insecurities, and other issues have come into play, the industry has become insecure. So, where are the multi-star cast films? Where are the entertaining films that were popular during the 90s and early 2000s? They’ve all disappeared.”‘It’s time to bring back the big entertainers’Calling for a revival of the collaborative spirit that once defined Bollywood blockbusters, Suniel added, “We need them back, because then the economics of entertainment, real estate, food counters—all of it—would start to work in a big circle. Once that cycle begins, it’s like a slope that you can keep climbing.”On the work front, Suniel is currently gearing up for the release of his upcoming film Kesari Veer: The Legends of Somnath, directed by Prince Dhiman. The film also stars Sooraj Pancholi, Vivek Oberoi, and debutante Akanksha Sharma, and is expected to be a patriotic action drama that brings together a powerful ensemble cast.