Actress Madhoo discusses the pay gap in Bollywood and contrasts her earlier days with those of Kangana Ranaut, Alia Bhatt, and others.
When it was rumored that Kareena Kapoor Khan wanted 12 crores to play Sita in the Ramayana, it caused quite a stir. Leading figures including Priyanka Chopra, Anushka Sharma, and Katrina Kaif have called for salary equality. Actress Madhoo from Phool Aur Kaante has finally spoken up, claiming that due to their popularity, Deepika Padukone, Katrina Kaif, and Alia Bhatt all deserve greater salaries.
Women are no longer merely used as eye candy in films, as they once were. In a movie like Pathaan, Deepika Padukone plays action roles alongside actors like John Abraham and Shah Rukh Khan. Together with Ali Abbas Zafar, Katrina Kaif is developing the first female superhero movie ever. However, one problem that seems to never go away is the pay gap between them and their male colleagues.
Actress Madhoo from Phool Aur Kaante is now discussing how the difference in salary has changed in Bollywood. She said, “Agar film achchi chali toh log bolte the Ajay Devgn ki film hit ho gayi, Akshay Kumar ki film hit ho gayi, aur agar flop hoti thi toh log bolte the Ajay Devgn ki film flop ho gayi, Akshay Kumar ki film flop ho gayi. I never got blamed for anything. My market went on for 10 years and I was busy with good films. Some became hits and people praised the jodi. No one discredited me for any film, and hence I never questioned it. But hats off to the girls who are questioning it today.”
“Actresses like Kangana Ranaut, Deepika Padukone and Alia Bhatt are actually pulling crowds to theatres, so they should definitely ask for higher remuneration. If people are coming to see Deepika, she has the right to ask for the money. In my time, people didn’t come to see just Madhoo on screen; they came to see Ajay-Madhoo, Akshay-Madhoo and so on. I never questioned it because that was the truth.”
In the past, Kangana Ranaut, Deepika Padukone, and Alia Bhatt have all stated that they should receive equal pay because they are aware of t
