Haarsh Limbachiyaa reveals with pay cuts they have been living off loans; Reem Shaikh adds, 'Actors are being hired on a monthly salary basis'

Time of India

30-05-2025

Reem Shaikh, an actress who can presently be seen on Laughter Chefs Season 2, has spent the last 15 years working in television. During a recent visit to Bharti Singh's podcast, Reem discussed the persistent budget restrictions in the television industry, emphasising how actresses today are paid substantially less.
Haarsh Limbachiyaa also discussed how the market has deteriorated to the point where large-budget productions are no longer possible.
On the podcast, Reem stated, "Having a set in Filmcity is a privilege now." There are no outdoor schedules anymore, and no one is willing to set up before Naigaon, which takes four hours to get to and from. Haarsh went on to say, "There are very few huge shows like Laughter Chef being produced nowadays.
Budgets have been decreased. I'm watching such a large display after 3-4 years. Now it appears that TV is struggling. It is on a downward trend.
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Haarsh also revealed that he and Bharti have been living off debt. "We have a similar problem. People assume that if I host a show on one channel and Bharti does a show on another, I will charge Rs 20 lakhs per day and Bharti will charge Rs 50 lakhs. That is not true. We are surviving on loans, and if we do not accept the work that comes our way, someone else will."
Bharti made a joke: "We are so much on loans that even when the milkman comes, we think an agent has come to take the loan back.
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Haarsh went on to say, "Only the perception is big now. I've come across videos of the fees performers receive for these reality shows. It stated that Krushna receives Rs 35 lakhs. I contacted Krushna and asked him to give me some money since he earned so much. This has become a major issue, and resources have been drastically cut.
Production houses and cameramen are all struggling. Everyone, including directors, technicians, and producers, says the market is poor.
In situations like this, even artists reduce their fees. This is why we decided to create videos on YouTube. Previously, when we were looking for a lead for a show, their daily budget was Rs 5000."
Listening to this, Reem Shaikh explained that actors now receive monthly payments. She stated that budgets are only affected in the industry; everything else is becoming more expensive. Reem shared, "Now, a new trend on television is to be paid monthly rather than daily. Actors are recruited for Rs 50000 per month. Then they can have you work for 22 or 30 days, and you will be paid monthly. Actors who don't make a side income from social media suffer.
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