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Women actors must of big male actors have these deals and I think it’s time that a lot of big female
actors also start doing these deals,” Dhawan said.
push for better pay, Sharma, along with her colleagues Priyanka Chopra, Kangana Ranaut and Sonam
Kapoor, has been one of the most vocal critics of Bollywood’s gender pay gap
says Varun; no equal and unequal opportunities, said there was a long way to go before women in the
industry reached a position from where they could strike these ‘deals’.
ground, says Anushka “Male actors are propped up a lot more by producers, and when you are propped
up so much, the value is always going to be more for the male actor,” she said.
“How Much will I talk about it? I’m done now. You Pointing out that a film’s success is still largely attributed to its male lead, she said,
talk now,” actor and producer Anushka Sharma “You conveniently forget
said, turning to her colleague Varun Dhawan and that there was a lead
entrusting him with the responsibility of speaking actress also involved…
up on gender inequality in the Hindi film industry. you have to play on equal
Sharma’s comment, which highlighted the need ground first, and then
for male actors to take a stand on the gender gap we can talk about these
in Bollywood, was prompted by a question from recoveries.”
the audience at a recent edition of the Express Calling for a greater
Adda in Mumbai. celebration of women
Dhawan responded to the question — about actors, Dhawan said,
whether Bollywood would ever bridge the gender “This year has been one
pay gap — with revelations about the extent to of the best for our industry,
which male actors are beneficiaries of an unequal with the most number of
system. An important source of compensation for hits and the most number
male actors, he acknowledged, are the “packages” of films making Rs 100
they get as part of the satellite and Time women crore. That’s not only
actors did packages for better pay, says Varun because of male actors.
Dhawan; let’s play on equal ground first, responds Women actors are giving
Anushka digital rights for their films. big hits, whether solo or with a male supporting cast.”
“Nowadays, when we make a film, there are Talking of recent hits such as the Alia Bhatt-starrer Raazi and Veere Di Wedding,
recoveries attached… Every actor has a different which featured four women lead actors, Sharma described the current period in
recovery on these mediums, so the bigger the Hindi cinema as being a particularly healthy one for actors, given the diversity of
star, the bigger the recovery… A lot of male stars, roles on offer.
and it has happened with me also, we get offered She said this has been made possible by a combination of factors – an audience
a lot of packages. They say, ‘Sir, aap humko apne with a more diverse taste in cinema, and women actors who are more assertive
char picture de do, and we’ll give you so many about the kind of movies they want to do. “In today’s time, you can do a film like
crores.’ Then you can decide how much to give NH10 and then also do a popular film like Sultan, and you know your audience is
the producer, how much to keep for yourself. A lot going to be different.”
Sharma and Dhawan, who are co-starring in the highly anticipated Sui Dhaaga,
directed by Sharat Katariya, also spoke about the role social media has played in
shaping their engagement with fans. Dhawan pointed out that while social media
can be highly manipulative, the moments of “pure fan love” make it worthwhile.
“It’s like what happened with our film Sui Dhaaga… The memes started on Mamta,
which is the character Anushka plays… I swear to God, it was all organic. It was
organic fan love. When something like that happens it’s a lot of fun,” he said.
Sharma, who has often found herself at the receiving end of online trolls, including
for her husband Virat Kohli’s performance on the cricket field, struck a less
enthusiastic note. While acknowledging that social media has made it easier
to have a “personal relationsip” with fans, she lamented the amount of hatred
encountered online. “Where is the accountability in what you’re saying? You’re
a nameless, figureless person who has the right to say anything, to vent out your
innermost darkness and demons on someone you don’t even know? That’s what
you’re subjected to.”
At the same time, she said, the trolling had also made her resilient. “Anyone can
come up and say the meanest thing to me right now and it won’t matter because of
the training that I’ve received from trolls,” she said. “Sometimes, when something
erupts on social media, my publicists get worried, and for a second, I get that pang
of nervousness. (But) suddenly, I’m like, I’ve dealt with worse.”
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