Filmmaker Karan Johar says very few actors can rake in the moolah at the box office.

When asked if there was a limited choice of lead actors, he said at a program here this evening, "Yes, it is a big problem. We have hundreds of films to make and there are six (actors) who can sell your film. If you take someone new then you won't get budget as the film won't get proper satellite or music rights, or proper release overseas. If you make a small film then you can take a chance."

The 44-year-old filmmaker said he feels worried when he thinks of doing something new but on a smaller scale.

"The moment I think small, I get worried and scared. I am best when I think large or big," he said.

In "Student of the Year", Karan launched three new faces - Sidhharth Malhotra, Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt.

"I was very sad when I was making 'Student of the Year' as there were no stars on sets. It used to bother me but that was the ethos of the film. It is very limiting," he said.

"It's a problem... we are going through crises. There are just a few stars who are viable, saleable, etc., there are many filmmakers and stories to be told.

"The way we used to love our stars up to 80s, that madness and insanity is depleting with time. We need to make more films. There is a dearth of viable actors but we have 'Talent Next', it opens doors for talent but it's up to the audience as they love the actors," he added.

He was talking at the launch of TalentNext, a talent-recruiter online platform.