Half The Lead Hero’s Salary Is Budget Of Female-Driven Film: Taapsee Pannu On Gender Pay Gap In Bollywood

Bollywood actresses are coming forward and addressing the lack of Gender pay –parity in the industry. Recently Taapsee Pannu who is shining bright with her last few critically acclaimed performances from Pink to Saand Ki Aankh, too spoke on the alarming issue at the 50^th Indian Film Festival in Goa.

Revealing stark realities of how Bollywood actors and actress in the same league are paid in the glamour and glitz industry,  she said, the leading ladies get "not even half of (what) the leading men (get paid)", Reported IANS.  "It is way less than one-fourth at times -- to be honest, even less. Half of the salary of the leading hero is the entire budget of a female-driven film of an A-list actress," Taapsee said.

“If you want to be a good audience, walk into a theatre to watch a female centric film, because even if one female centric movie hits the box office, you have triggered atleast 5 female-centric films in the making.” - @taapsee says in her session on ‘Women in Lead’ at #IFFI2019 pic.twitter.com/KPdaZHAHWs

— IFFI 2019 (@IFFIGoa) November 23, 2019

“We have a long way to go. It is insane," Taapsee added, at an interactive session during the ongoing 50th edition of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI), which is underway in Goa.

.@taapsee arrives at @iffigoa for her session, 'Women in Lead'#IFFI2019 #IFFIGoa #Goa #IFFI50 pic.twitter.com/8fdwAKMFi9

— IFFI 2019 (@IFFIGoa) November 23, 2019

The Pink actress also said that at times, even top female leads were paid one-fourth of the remuneration paid to a male star. Providing a solution to the discrimination in pay she said that only box-office success of women-oriented films would end the sexist lopsidedness.

"I hope it changes in my lifetime. That can happen when more and more people walk into a female-driven film in theatres. Only box-office can change this. Yes, women-driven films have increased drastically over the last four to five years but the big difference will happen when the (box-office) numbers come in. There is no other way," she summed it up.

Housefull 4 lead actress Kriti Sanon too recently was quizzed on the same subject to which she said that women are slowing getting their monetary due but it is a long way to go!

 Priyanka Chopra on the other hand revealed that a woman has to work twice as hard to make the same amount of money as a man, in most cases. “It will take time for people to get woke and the industry to get” she had said in an interview.