4 Times When Veteran Actors Opened Up On Pay Disparity In Bollywood

Pay disparity is not a new topic; the issue is repeatedly brought up, and it does seem to be coming up more frequently these days. The hard reality is that it will still take more rounds of discussions to finally see a significant change. It is also not unknown to the Indian film industry. Bollywood, which was founded 100 years ago, still experiences pay disparity. However, similar to the saying that goes, "No one is going to make change for you until you raise your voice for change," actors in the Indian entertainment industry began to speak out about the pay gap, and soon they were heard and changes started to be made.

Leading actor Deepika Padukone has not only addressed the gender pay gap multiple times but also shared how it caused her to pass on a good movie. Not just her, but a lot of female actors in recent years, including Vidya Balan, Priyanka Chopra, Taapsee Pannu, Sonam Kapoor, and many more, have talked about it in public. However, this was not always the case; up until the last ten years, actors never publicly backed equal pay or even brought it up in conversation or thought. However, those actors are now openly discussing how it has remained the same since their time.

Veteran Female Actors On Pay Disparity

Raveena Tandon

Actor Raveena Tandon who is still giving hot hits on OTT has recently shed light on the gender pay gap she experienced in the 1990s in an interview with Jist News. Tandon remarked she had to act in 15-20 films to make what her male co-stars earned in a single movie. She attributed this partly to the fact that actresses back then had to take on more projects to establish themselves, while actors like Salman or Aamir Khan had the privilege and liberty to do far more selective work than their female counterparts.

Sharmila Tagore

Sharmila Tagore, who made a comeback with an OTT feature, Gulmohar, in an interview, rued that male actors still frequently land better roles than their female counterparts and that this disparity must be looked into. She claimed that over the years, the way women were portrayed in movies had changed and that they were "increasingly grabbing meaty roles." She claimed that the pay gap nonetheless persisted. She stated: "Parity does not exist." Women actors continue to make less money than men do. So, something has to be changed. "The difference was much greater during my time."

Sharmila Tagore

Zeenat Aman

Zeenat Aman recently posted a video to Instagram in which she claimed that, in her time, the majority of women mostly served in ornamental roles 90 per cent of the time. They would sing, dance, and sort of prance around the leading man. However, she feels that things are changing. She noted how the roles available to women are no longer just decorative in the Instagram caption. She did, however, point out that the gender pay gap has remained unchanged. She claimed that although she was once hailed as the "highest paid female actor," the pay gap between her and her male co-stars was so absurd it was laughable.

Picture Credit: Instagram

Jaya Bachchan

In a podcast, another veteran actor, Jaya Bachchan, talked about how women are treated unfairly everywhere in the workplace. She claimed that men's insecurity is what causes the gender pay gap. She stated: "It is caused by a man's insecurity who is seated at its leadership. Because of his insecurities, he believes it is simpler to disparage women in all circumstances. It is the result of that mindset. Women have never advocated for themselves for centuries." She did concur that changes are being made, though.

Jaya Bachchan (Free Press Journal)

These actors have achieved great success in Bollywood, made their names known in its golden pages, and are still living lives of fame and respect. They do not need any more recognition, though continuing to advocate equal pay only serves to highlight the sisterhood. They deserve praise and admiration for pushing for the changes that Bollywood needs to make.