Kriti Sanon says pay disparity in Bollywood is 'huge'
Actor Kriti Sanon, basking in the success of her films Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya and Crew, has voiced concerns over the infamous pay disparity in Bollywood. In an interview with Film Companion, she highlighted the significant pay gap between male and female actors and the reasons that influence it. "The difference in payment currently is huge for actually no reason," she stated.
Sanon discussed producers' justification for pay gap
Sanon said, "Sometimes, you feel like it's not like that person has given a hit in 10 years, then why is he getting paid 10 times." "A lot of the times, what the producers say is, recovery. The recovery happens with digital and satellite before release." "So to get that kind of budget from digital and satellite - because [there], the male-centric films actually do very, very well as compared to a film on a girl," she added.
Budget constraints for female-led films in Bollywood
Sanon pointed out that producers were hesitant to invest the same budget in Crew, a film starring three A-list female actors, as they would in a similar comedy featuring male actors. Tabu and Kareena Kapoor Khan co-starred in Crew. This trend echoes back to 2018 when Rhea Kapoor and Ektaa Kapoor produced an all-women mainstream film Veere Di Wedding. The lead actors had to take pay cuts to maintain the film's budget, indicating a persistent issue with funding female-led films.
Her plans as a producer
Speaking about her plans as a producer, she said, "I'm a learning producer. Yes, I have turned a producer and I'm going to try and get more films that I would love to make. To support stories that I feel should be made. Be more involved creatively other than just being an actor on set." The first film under her production banner is titled Do Patti. Co-starring Kajol, it will be released on Netflix.
