Ishaan Khatter on Absence of 'Entourage Culture' in Hollywood: 'Actors Are Very Coddled in India'

Ishaan Khatter’s understanding of entourage culture changed the moment he stepped onto a Hollywood set. Speaking about The Perfect Couple, shot in Cape Cod, the actor described a working environment that removed every familiar layer of insulation. “They gave me a house and a car and then asked me to drive myself to set,” he says.

There was no personal team, no assistants, and no safety net. “I was doing my own laundry every day. I was cleaning, cooking for myself, learning my lines while driving to set,” Khatter says. “For over three months, he worked without anyone from his entourage. “I didn’t know a single person there; I didn’t have a single person from my team.”

The experience, he said, was revealing. “We are very coddled, especially as actors.” While Khatter acknowledges that access to domestic help in India is also cultural and employment-driven, he questions how easily comfort turns into entitlement. “Where is the limit? That should be an individual question. It can’t be the expectation generally,” he says. 

Khatter also points out that context matters. “It also depends on the project,” he says. On Neeraj Ghaywan’s Homebound, he recalls, “Neeraj was very specific. We had one hair and makeup team for all the actors because there was a set look. I was very happy to let go of my people."

At the same time, he acknowledges that some roles demand investment. “For The Royals , they needed me to look like a prodigy horse rider in two months. So they had to get me a coach,” he adds.

The problem, Khatter argues, begins when costs exceed purpose. “If it’s beyond what you need for the film, you shouldn’t incur that cost,” he says. His larger argument points to the fact that unless actors consciously question what they truly need, excess will continue to masquerade as necessity.