Bhumi Pednekar says actresses were expected to take pay cuts due to Covid-19 pandemic but not male stars: ‘Ridiculous’

Bhumi Pednekar said that while actresses were expected to slash their fee as a fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic, the same request was not made to male stars.

Bhumi Pednekar opened up about the issue of pay disparity in the film industry and said that the Covid-19 pandemic affected male and female actors differently. She said that while the women were expected to take a pay cut, no such request was made to her male co-stars.

Bhumi Pednekar emphasised the need for pay parity in Bollywood.

In an interview, Bhumi talked about the need for pay parity and how it is ‘such a long fight’. She also said that the imbalance ‘really troubles’ her.

Speaking to journalist Puja Talwar, Bhumi said, “I feel like most people realised that the pandemic had hit them only when they had a female-led film that they were supporting. I have never heard of any producer going and telling a male co-star of mine, ‘Yaar, Covid ki wajah se aap pay cut le lo (please take a pay cut, keeping the Covid situation in mind)’. It doesn’t happen. But it’s expected from all of us (women), which I feel is ridiculous.”

Last week, Bhumi saw the release of Badhaai Do, in which she essays the role of a closeted lesbian, who enters into a marriage of convenience with Rajkummar Rao’s character Shardul Thakur, a homosexual police inspector. The film, directed by Harshavardhan Kulkarni, earned ₹12.60 crore at the domestic box office in its first week.

In a statement, Bhumi said that the love she has got from the audience for Badhaai Do has been ‘overwhelming’. “In the digital age, you get feedback in an instant because of social media and my phone hasn’t stopped buzzing due to all the lovely praise for the film and my performance from people who are getting moved by the subject of Badhaai Do. We wanted to highlight a reality that exists so that people can rally together and request for a necessary change to happen,” she said.