Taapsee Pannu calls out sexism, supports Kareena Kapoor Khan in Sita row: Are the male actors doing these roles for free?

Recently, there was huge furore on social media when news of Kareena Kapoor Khan demanding a fee of Rs 12 crore for the magnum opus Sita went viral on the Internet. Several people on social media started targeting the superstar actress and called for a boycott and asked the film team to drop Bebo from the film.

But what it instead showed was the inherent sexism that’s prevalent in the industry – the moth eaten conditioning that allows anyone to judge and shame a woman who asks for a remuneration she thinks she deserves. Here, in this strong chat with Bollywood Bubble, Taapsee Pannu, an artiste who has always been known for her straight forward honest nature and her strong stands for women-related issues, takes on the debate and supports Kareena. She explains why it’s easier to shame and label women when they start asking for a certain fee to do the job.

Sharing her views on the furore created on social media regarding Kareena’s remuneration, Taapsee said, “If it would have been a man in that position who would have asked for that much amount, people would have said, ‘Iski market badh gayi hai'(His market value has increased). That guy has really achieved big success in life.’ Its because a woman who is asking for it she is called out to be ‘difficult’ or ‘too demanding’. Its always like that. You will always read about this issue about hike in salary when it comes to women.”

You can watch the entire interview below:

The Haseen Dillruba actress went on to explain, “But why not? She is one of the biggest female superstar we have in the country. If she demands a certain salary for the time, its her job. Do you really think, like all the other mythological characters that are played by men, do you think they do it for free? I don’t think so. So its only when a  woman hikes her salary, people call her ‘problematic’. Whereas its a success barometer when its a man.”

Sexism and gender pay parity have been some of the grave issues plaguing the film industry for the longest time. But with actresses like Taapsee Pannu and Kareena Kapoor openly calling out this double standards of the people, we hope a much needed change in the industry is on the anvil.

Also Read: EXCLUSIVE: Taapsee Pannu has THIS to say about OTT platforms being unaffected by the star system