Bhumi Pednekar Disappointed With Bollywood's Pay Disparity

2022 has been quite a year for Bhumi Pednekar, as she was in the limelight for her three releases. She received critical acclaim for her work in 'Badhaai Do' with Rajkummar Rao. She starred in 'Raksha Bandhan' along with Akshay Kumar and was recently cast opposite Vicky Kaushal in 'Govinda Naam Mera'. Even though Bhumi is getting some great work, she expressed her disappointment in the overpay disparity and how the producers want her to feel thankful.

Pednekar, who was a part of the round table conference arranged by a popular entertainment news portal, was joined by others like Alaya F, Rakul Preet Singh, Huma Qureshi and Tamannah Bhatia, who discussed the issue of pay disparity.

Tamannah opined that building a strong market for themselves is the only way ahead, while Rakul commented that it will be a long journey to be paid equally.

Speaking about the topic, Bhumi said, "I could have as many Rs 100 or 200 crore films as my male co-star. I may be appreciated for my work but it's a norm that I will not be paid as close to what he is being paid".

She further added that the change has to happen from every aspect.

Pednekar also pointed out that this disparity is also prevalent in the west: "The disparity was also in the west, but the men there stood up for women. They said they would either take a pay cut or get them the same remuneration. While I don't want anyone to stand up for me, there has to be empathy. One needs to acknowledge the issue."

"But we should also understand that the males have created a market over the years. We cannot pitch 10 female films with the 100 they have," said Huma, who was last seen in 'Monica O My Darling'.

Bhumi stated that as female actresses, they had to find solace in the fact that they are getting good work. But she wondered why not the same money as the male stars.

"If the budget is 125 crores, the men get a good two-digit figure, but then they want me to be thankful. You have come to me because I add a certain amount of credibility, but they always make it sound like an opportunity," she said.

Rakul Preet responded to this by saying that it's because most actresses are replaceable.