The more the budget, the bigger the star, the more the pressure: 'Badlapur' director Sriram Raghavan

Mumbai: Filmmaker Sriram Raghavan, whose 'Badlapur', made a budget of Rs.25 crore, was appreciated by audience and critics alike, says the pressure to deliver increases with a big star and bigger budget.

'Badlapur' starred Varun Dhawan, in what the four-film-old actor called his 'lowest budget' film.

Asked if a big budget film puts more pressure on a filmmaker, Raghavan told IANS: "Yes, it does affect because the more the budget, the bigger the star, the more pressure you have. The question is how to return the money."

"Having said that, I also believe stars certainly help the film in many ways. Their reach is more, so you get a bigger opening because of them," added the filmmaker, whose past credits include films like 'Ek Hasina Thi' and 'Johnny Gaddar'.

For 'Badlapur', he says he did not need a star.

"When I signed Varun for 'Badlapur', he was just one film old. Now he has become a big star. This certainly helped our film that Varun is a star now," he said.