I have loved and admired Bhumi Pednekar and her journey ever since I first saw her in Dum Laga Ke Haisha. Since then, she has just made me respect her even more with the kind of work she has done, and her latest outing Badhaai Do with RajKummar Rao just made me fall in love with her all over again. Recently, the actress got into a conversation with MissMalini, and she opened up about some pertaining issues in the industry, and her stand on it was just exemplary.
Bhumi is a part of the United Nations Development Program that aims to create awareness about gender equality. One of the most talked about topic in the film industry worldwide is pay disparity between the male and female actors. So, when asked if she has gotten to terms with it and does she takes a stand for herself in this matter, she answers in the affirmative.
The actress insists,
“Absolutely I do. I have come to terms with the fact that there is a lot of pay disparity which may be I was a little naive about when I started. You barely get paid much anyway when you begin, so the pay disparity comes a little later. But today I am in a stage of life where if a producer or a filmmaker doesn’t think that I should be paid my value’s worth, then I don’t do the film. It’s only fair. I am a sensible person and I know where I stand in concern to my career.”
Bhumi Pednekar (Source: Instagram | @bhumipednekar)
She shares that the pandemic has also played a huge part in this ongoing issue as the money side of the craft has got affected. But she also says that the effect seems to have reflected only on the actresses’ fees.
Bhumi avers,
“What’s amazing is that it feels like the pandemic has only hit producers when it comes to negotiating the female leads’ fee while you can be paying an obnoxious amount of money to your male stars, which I am sure they deserve. My comment is not on what they are making but what we should also be making. It’s always about budgeting after Covid, but it’s always with the female leads’ fee.”
