7 Times Female Actress Spoke About Gender Pay Disparity in Public

We are living in the 21st century but the gender pay gap still exists in our society. When women and men are putting equal efforts for the work then why discrimination? It happens in every field from Corporate to Bollywood industry. Many female stars have faced the same situation and have been vocal about it in public as well.

Taapsee Pannu

Taapsee Pannu who has worked in many female solo bollywood films like Pink, Thappad , Badla has also faced the situation even after giving solo hits. Taapsee Pannu once said in an interview speaking to The National Bulletin, “If a female actor asks more, she is termed difficult and problematic and if a man asks more it’s a mark of his success. Difference is, the men who started with me earn 3-5 times more than what I do. And the gap keeps increasing as we go in the higher star category.”

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Deepika Padukone

One of the most versatile actresses who has given many hits like Ramleela, Piku, Padmavat and many more have also faced the pay disparity in industry. She turned down the offer of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s next Baiju Bawra because she was not getting the equal pay as male lead.In an interview with Times of India she said, “I know my track record and what I’m worth. I don’t think I’ll be able to live with the thought knowing that I have been a part of a film, had the same creative contribution or bringing the same value to a film, but being underpaid.”

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Priyanka Chopra Jones

Famous bollywood and international star Priyanka Chopra Jones has also spoke about the pay gap in the past where she was the only female celeb from bollywood to be listed in Forbes Top 10. She said, “I think the gender pay gap is a global problem. It exists in every profession, be it Hollywood, Bollywood or the business sector where male are paid more than females. I feel it’s a big problem and is not just confined to the film industry. My appearance on the top 10 Forbes 100 celebrity list highlights the same problem”.

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Sonam Kapoor

Sonam Kapoor who started her career with movie Saawariya and gave hits like Neerja and Prem Ratan Dhan payo has also spoken about the pay gap. In an interview with Mid Day, she said “The pay gap is ridiculous. I can stand up to it, but then I don’t get those roles, and I’m okay with that. I can afford to do that. I realized over the past two or three years that I have no right to judge anybody.”

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Kangana Ranaut

Kangana Ranaut is fierce and bold who never shies to open up about her views publicly. How can she not talk about wage disparity? She said in an interview, “My male counterparts are paid twice the amount. No one can guarantee the success of a film so why such discrimination? I don’t do one scene or one item song in a film. I have heard some successful actresses saying that they don’t deserve equal pay as their male colleagues because the latter get big openings, but I believe if you won’t feel empowered yourself then no film or person can make you feel empowered. You have to feel like an equal. You should tell yourself that you don’t have any shortcomings.”

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Anushka Sharma

Anushka Sharma has also raised her concern on wage disparity and feels that women are not treated as equally professionals. During a speech, she was quoted saying , “It is very very unfair that we get paid the way we do. I think the disparity is way too much. We get paid like one fourth of what the men get paid. Secondly, our careers are much shorter. In that much time also our expenses are a lot in terms of our clothes and this and that. Almost 30 to 40 percent of our expenditure goes into that. So ultimately in that short time you don’t really make that much money and it’s not fair because of the way in which they are getting compared.”

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Kareena Kapoor Khan

Kareena Kapoor Khan is one of the top actresses in Bollywood who has worked for more than 15 yrs in the industry. She was recently trolled for being greedy when she asked for 12 crore for her role as “Sita” in the Hindu epic movie ‘Ramayana’. She said in a recent interview with Guardian, “I make it quite clear what I want and I think that respect should be given. It’s not about being demanding, it’s about being respectful towards women. And I think things are kind of changing”.

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