In the picture here is the parking lot of a mall in Hyderabad after a film event. The person in the middle is not any census officer. He is ‘settling’ the money to the paid crowd attended the event. The film is of a reasonably good hero.
This may be a surprise for the audience but it is a general practice for the industry. Except for a few stars and their films, it is mostly the paid crowd for many heroes. They charge anywhere between 300 to 700 Rupees per person.
If it is for audio functions, the rates go even higher. There are agents who supply these people and there are instances when a group of people come together and negotiate a deal for attending events. There are heroes who go nuts if they don’t see good crowd at the events.
So, producers spend huge money on crowd management. Some event management companies brings fans of star to small movies promising them passes for their favorite star films. In those times, they are billed but the money goes to those companies.
Next time when you see a huge crowd for a small hero or a film, don’t get cheated.
