EXCLUSIVE: Bhumi Pednekar admits gender pay disparity in Bollywood is REAL; says, “There’s a huge gap”

Bhumi Pednekar has built a reputation in Hindi cinema for delivering versatile performances and choosing unconventional roles. The actress – who made her debut in 2015 with Dum Laga Ke Haisha, has since earned widespread acclaim for her varied performances. During an exclusive chat, Bhumi – who has also starred in content-driven films like Toilet: Ek Prem Katha, Shubh Mangal Saavdhan, Bala, and Badhaai Do, got candid about the pay disparity in Bollywood and if she’s also fallen prey to it. Read on to read and hear all she had to say.

Bhumi Pednekar on the pay gap

In an exclusive interview with Bollywood Bubble, Bhumi Pednekar spoke about the pay gap between male and female actors in Bollywood. The ‘Meri Husband Ki Biwi’ actress said, “Yaar yeh na actually cinema ki problem nahi hai, across sectors ki problem hai. Agar aap ek CEO ko bhi dekh le of any large conglomerate, if she’s a woman unki salary kaam hi hogi. Agar mai specifically cinema me aau toh definitely there’s a huge gap. (Yaar, this isn’t just a problem in cinema; it’s an issue across all sectors. Even if you look at a CEO of any large conglomerate—if she’s a woman, her salary will still be lower. And if I talk specifically about cinema, there’s definitely a huge gap.)” 

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Bhumi: I can see the gap bridging

She continued, “Aur kai baar hum yeh kehete hai ki, joh actor zyda business lata hai…. woh bilkul sahi hai. Yaha pe seniority ki baat nahi ho rahi. I’ve been at places where I have achieved as much as a male co-star and yet I have been paid way less. Mujhe lag raha hai jaise jaise aur producers aane lag gaye hai -that believe in equality, I can see the gap bridging. (Many times, we say that the actor who brings in more business… and that’s absolutely right. This isn’t about seniority. I’ve been in situations where I achieved just as much as my male co-star, yet I was paid significantly less. But I feel that as more producers are coming in who genuinely believe in equality, I can see the gap starting to close.) “

She further added, “In the last year beknown sets, I was the highest paid actor. I’m not saying that out of… I’m not being very high priced about it but, I feel like that was fair. I was with the male co-star on that set as well but that price was set because of what we have achieved.”

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Transcribed & written by Harsh Nargolkar

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