Insider Information: Why did Agent cost Rs 80 crore?

Akhil Akkineni had high hopes for Agent, which was marketed as a high-octane action thriller. However, both critics and the general public have labelled the film a flop since its release. Interestingly, the film's producer, Anil Sunkara, stated that they spent Rs 80 crores on the production. Given that it came directly from the producer, one might have to believe it. But why did the producer spend Rs 80 crore on a film starring Akhil, who is only worth half the market value?

What is the rationale for the out-of-control spending? Surender Reddy, it appears, had requested numerous reshoots at various stages of the filmmaking process. As a result, the film's budget nearly doubled over the course of production. The initial plan was to make the film on a Rs 40 crore budget with Akhil's market in mind.

However, with all of the reshoots and subsequent production costs, the overall costs incurred by the producer ended up costing him twice as much. Reshoots are an expensive affair, and they are usually for only a little piece that the director believes should be shot at all costs. However, in the case of Agent, many episodes and sequences were completely reshot, which greatly piled up the costs.