Zeenat Aman To Deepika Padukone, The Recurring Conversation On Gender Pay Gap

For women in all industries, the pay gap between them and men is a hard reality. Even Bollywood has entered the discussion about income disparity. The most renowned and successful actors struggle to achieve their right pay. 

conversation on gender pay gap

Not only for the general population but there is a gender-based pay discrepancy in Bollywood as well between male and female stars. Female actors have widely mentioned the unequal pay they receive even after rising to the top of the acting industry, not just in India. Recently, veteran Bollywood actor Zeenat Aman also spoke about how it has remained the same since her times.

Legally, the Indian Constitution's Article 39(D) states that there is equal pay for equal work for both men and women. But women continue to be paid less for the same work.

Take a look at Bollywood actors who have expressed the same concern over the years:

1. Zeenat Aman

Recently on Instagram, Zeenat Aman shared a video in which we can see her rehearsing for the song ‘Laila, O Laila’ from the 1980 movie ‘Qurbani’. In the video, she said, “90 per cent of the time, most of the women here are just playing ornamental roles, purely ornamental. They sing and dance and sort of prance around the leading man. That’s about it. What I feel is happening now is that there are changes coming about.”

In the caption on Instagram, she wrote, "It’s been nearly 50 years since this footage was shot, and the industry has changed immensely since. The roles available to women are clearly not just ornamental anymore. What hasn’t changed though is the gender pay gap. In my time I was lauded as the ‘highest paid female actor’, but the disparity in the pay cheque between my male co-stars and myself was so vast it was laughable.”

2. Deepika Padukone

Deepika Padukone has also been speaking about the pay gap many times because it affects more than just the film industry. In 2022, Padukone was reportedly rejected from a Sanjay Leela Bhansali film because she demanded the same amount as her male co-star for a movie titled ‘Baiju Bawra’.

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3. Samantha Ruth Prabhu

In 2022, in Koffee With Karan, Samantha boldly spoke about the pay disparity. During the episode, while Akshay Kumar was recalling his struggle during the initial days of his career, he mentioned that for the movie ‘Jaani Dushman’, a seven-hero film, he was paid a little over Rs 20,000 per day, which was much better than his salary as a martial arts trainer.

After hearing Akshay’s story and where he is now, Samantha mentioned that her salary for one film is equal to that of Akshay’s pay per day. This statement stirred a conversation on the internet regarding the pay disparity still evidently prevalent between female actors and male actors across all film industries.

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4. Taapsee Pannu

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A post shared by Taapsee Pannu (@taapsee)

Taapsee Pannu opened up about the pay disparity she faces in the entertainment industry at a Netflix-launched campaign known as ‘Har Kahani Hai Zaruri’. The actress said, “There has been a shift in Bollywood but we are still far away from equality. It's a universal truth. There are pay gaps. In leading positions, how many HODs are women? If you see that disparity between the male and female ratio, you will understand that equality is still not there."

Not only these but other Bollywood actors like Sonam Kapoor, Sonakshi Sinha, Priyanka Chopra and Katrina Kaif too have spoken about this.

For more such stories, stay tuned to HerZindagi.

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