Kriti Sanon slams gender pay gap in Bollywood, says producers are 'scared' to give female-led films big budgets

Kriti Sanon addressed gender pay disparity in Bollywood, questioning unequal pay for similar roles.

Actor Kriti Sanon spoke candidly about the ongoing issue of gender pay disparity in Bollywood at a recent event. Highlighting the industry's long-standing reluctance to treat male and female actors equally, she questioned why pay should differ when the work remains the same.

Kriti Sanon highlighted producers' reluctance to invest in female-led films despite their potential for success and expressed optimism about a shift towards content-driven projects. (Photo: Instagram)

Kriti opens up about pay disparity in Bollywood

Speaking at the CNN-News18 event on Thursday, Kriti said, "Actually, considering all the other industries, I don’t understand why the pay parity is not there. Because for certain kinds of roles, certain kinds of jobs, whether you are a male or a female, it shouldn’t matter, and the pay should be the same. In the films, yes we’ve been having this conversation for a very, very long time and trust me it pinches us more than anyone else."

“Even if it’s a film led by a woman, I feel it’s not scaled at the same budget as a film that is led by a man would be. But that’s also because producers are scared that they are not going to get as much money back. So I think it’s a circle where female-led films don’t end up making as much money as the male-led films, and then it’s like ‘oh, that’s why his fees are more or her fees are less’," she added.

Despite the challenges, Kriti expressed optimism about the slow but noticeable shift in the industry’s attitude. She noted that content-driven films are beginning to take centre stage, regardless of whether they're led by men or women.

Citing the success of the female-led film Crew, she emphasised the importance of fun, high-budget projects being fronted by women and urged producers to take more risks based on stories rather than gender. The 2024 film starred Kriti alongside Tabu and Kareena Kapoor. It grossed ₹157 crore worldwide and was one of the highest-grossing Hindi films last year.

Kriti's upcoming projects

On the work front, Kriti is gearing up for several big releases. She will next be seen opposite Dhanush in Aanand L. Rai’s Tere Ishq Mein, followed by Cocktail 2, directed by Homi Adajania and co-starring Shahid Kapoor and Rashmika Mandanna.