Bhumi Pednekar Recalls Being Paid Just 5 Percent Of Her Male Co-Star's Salary For A Film: After That I Didn't Succumb To It

Bhumi Pednekar’s films are a testament to how devoted she is to pushing the envelope as far as women in cinema are concerned. The actress doesn’t have any qualms about calling the industry biased towards male-dominated films and also calling films made on a budget of hundreds of crores, crap, if the need arises.  

The Dum Laga Ke Haisha star recently spoke about the pay disparity between men and women in Bollywood. She revealed how she started backing out of projects very early in her career after she learnt what the difference between her and her co-star’s paycheque really looked like.

Talking to India Today, Bhumi said, “They don't reveal what they are paying the male actors, but you always get to know. I kind of started backing out of films really early in my career. I had this experience where I was paid just 5 per cent of the amount what my male counterpart was paid. I have immense love for the film so I did it. After that experience, I said no. I said this is unfair at so many levels. We were both on the same stages of our careers and 5 per cent was so low. I was doing everything that the actor was doing. After that I didn't succumb to it.”

Bhumi also spoke about how producers shell out crores on sub standard films but make cuts when the film is being led by a woman. She also recalled facing bias during interviews where the interviewers just didn’t have questions for her as she sat beside Akshay Kumar promoting Toilet Ek Prem Katha despite the film dealing with an issue pertaining to women.

She said, “Toilet Ek Prem Katha gave me the opportunity to put forward what I think as an individual. I remember doing interviews, where there were anchors who would not ask me a question. And Akshay sir would direct those questions towards me because he thought that it is important for the world to know what I think and feel as the film was about a woman.”

Bumi will next be seen I the Badhaai Ho sequel Badhaai Do along with Rajkummar Rao.