Mushtaq Khan says he was underpaid for Welcome and earned less than Akshay Kumar’s staff: ‘Paise nahi badhaye…’ | Bollywood News

You can’t think of Welcome without Mushtaq Khan and his unforgettable character, Balu. Who can forget that iconic line: “Meri ek taang nakli hai, main hockey ka bohot bada khiladi tha (My one leg is fake, I was a great hockey player).” It’s almost as if the two are inseparable.
For all the love Mushtaq gets for this role, especially in today’s meme culture, there’s an unfortunate reality behind the scenes: he didn’t get paid as much as he deserved. Sure, working alongside the likes of Nana Patekar, Anil Kapoor, and Akshay Kumar was a blast, but the shooting schedule stretched on endlessly, and Mushtaq’s payment never reflected the extended hours.
Mushtaq Khan shared his frustration about the pay disparity, saying, “Agreement jab humara hota hai toh bola jaata hai ki 20 din ka shoot hai ya 25 din ka shoot hai. Uss hisaab se hum aap na payment tay karte hain. Par fir 25 din ke shoot ke baad aapse 10 din aur maange jaate hai, fir uske baad 15 din aur. Maine kaha yeh toh galat baat hai yaar. Paise nahi badhaye. (When we sign an agreement, we’re told it’s a 20-day or 25-day shoot. Based on that, we decide our payment. But when, after the 25-day shoot is over, they ask for 10 more days, and then another 15 days after that. I felt this was not right. The payment wasn’t increased).”
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He further revealed that Akshay Kumar’s staff was getting paid more than him. “Main aapko iske peeche ka reason batata hoon. Humare saath toh fix hogaya tha ki aapko poori film 1 lakh mein karni hai, phir chahe woh 20 din ho ya 25. Par unka jo staff hai woh toh per day payment wala hai… agar hum bhi per day hota hai toh sochiye ki humein kitna milta (I’ll tell you the reason. For us, it was fixed that we would do the film for Rs 1 lakh, whether it took 20 days or 25 days. But their staff worked on a per-day basis. Just imagine how much money we would have made if we were also paid per day).”
Recently, Mushtaq Khan was seen in the blockbuster Stree 2 and made headlines after being kidnapped. He was invited to attend an event in Meerut, where the unsettling event took place.