Kajol on gender pay gap in Bollywood

It’s not a secret that female actors in Bollywood earn way less per project than their male counterparts. The subject of pay disparity has been discussed innumerable times in the past few years, but the words are not translating into actions and gender earnings gap remains the same in the tinsel town of Bollywood.

Seasoned Bollywood actress Kajol, whose filmography boasts of several all-time blockbusters like Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995), Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998) and Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001), feels that it has to do with the economics of industry.

When a popular entertainment magazine asked the actress to share her thoughts on outrageous pay disparity in the industry, she said, “I don’t pay much attention to pay parity. I believe that it has to do with the economics of the industry.”

She went on to add that the gap could be bridged if the audience allows a female-driven film to earn as much as a male superstar-driven vehicle. “Audience has been changing in the past few years. Slowly but surely, things are getting better. Filmmakers are making films on all kinds of subjects and they are working. The audience needs to let a women-oriented film earn Rs 200-300 crore,” concluded the actress.

Meanwhile, Kajol is busy promoting her upcoming film Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior wherein she features alongside her actor husband Ajay Devgn. The couple is reuniting onscreen after a massive gap of more than a decade. Saif Ali Khan, Sharad Kelkar and Neha Sharma also play important roles in the film.

Directed by Om Raut, the historical drama is made on a lavish scale. It is scheduled to hit the marquee on 10^th January, 2020. The film will clash with Deepika Padukone’s Chhapaak which also releases on the same date.