The views of Aindrita Ray is being echoed by many other actors.
Parul Yadav, for instance, said that she would like to compliment Ms. Ray for having the courage to speak up. “A lot of female actors haven’t spoken about this because they are scared of being boycotted. I’ve also experienced this disparity. For instance, if the hero is paid Rs. 10, I’m paid 75 paise; not even a rupee!” she claimed.
She added that in a recent film she worked in, even her staff was paid far less when compared to the hero’s staff. “The hero’s staff was paid Rs. 20,000 and mine was paid between Rs. 8,000-10,000. Then there was a film where the hero was paid in crores while I was paid in lakhs. Why? Just look at the number of things we are expected to take care of – our hair, our skin, nails, weight – there are so many conditions that we have to meet. On top of this, we are given poor roles and terrible pay,” she said.
The deal-breakers“They will never pay us more,” says Shanvi Shrivastava, who has acted in Masterpiece and Bhale Jodi . “The only possibility of being paid more is in case the hero is a newcomer. Otherwise, if the hero gets Rs. 1 crore, the leading lady may get Rs. 10-14 lakhs at best,” she explained.
She feels that the industry has not allowed any female actor to sustain her career in recent times. “After Ramya and Radhika Pandit, why do we not know of any other female star?”
What makes matters worse is the fact that the roles for women often have little substance.
“If we demand more, they’ll find someone else who will be willing to work for less,” says Shrivastava.
