Deepshikha Nagpal: 'It is a male-dominating society but I cannot blame the industry, it is everywhere'

Set to be seen in the upcoming TV show Ranju Ki Betiyan, Deepshikha Nagpal opens up on gender pay gap, her favourite Bigg Boss contestants and more in an interview.

TV actor Deepshikha Nagpal has said that she has not really seen a stark gender pay disparity in the TV industry. Insisting that the little difference of treatment based on gender is not industry specific, she added that newcomers are paid less, irrespective of the gender. Deepshikha was speaking to Hindustan Times in an interview where she opened up on her upcoming show, Ranju Ki Betiyan and much more.

Deepshikha Nagpal will soon be seen in Ranjo Ki Betiyan (Instagram)

"It is a male-dominating society and it is everywhere. I do not see difference in payments based on gender. Yes, newcomers face problems but it is not gender wise. Newcomers paid less but irrespective of the gender. I cannot blame industry it is everywhere else as well," she said.

Deepshikha has been around for two decades. She has worked in serials and films since the 90s. Some of her notable films are Koyla, Dillagi, Corporate and Partner. Talking about the changes in the industry over the years, she said, "I did TV when TV was looked down upon and was new. Then, you'd get into acting if you could not do well in studies. That has changed. Now with everyone wanting to be an actor, it is a profession and industry with people actually trained in the craft."

She added, "TV was so nice (earlier) because it was not about daily soaps. I have seen the time when serials meant weekly soaps. Beautiful subjects happened. I also did daily soaps but never did the typical saas-bahu serial. Now it is too far fetched when you show someone getting married 10 times. It is unusual. But it is more mature now as well, unlike earlier when you just tracked one person's story. Everyone in the family may be facing problems and we are now ready to explore those. Perhaps that is why senior actors are getting more work now."

She also said that censorship is much required. "Censoring is very important, certain channels have gone weirdly like porn channel or something. I think TV is in your house, you watch it with family. It is our Indian culture. I am happy censorship would be for shows. nudity is not allowed."

Revealing that the challengers who piqued her interest on Bigg Boss 14, Deepshikha shared that her favourite contestant is Aly Goni. "Rakhi Sawant is an entertainer, but she entered as a challenger and may not win. If you ask me who is the winner, I like Aly Goni. Straight-forward. If we talk about consistency then it is only Rubina Dilaik. Everyone else went out for some time."

She also called Ayub Khan, who plays her onscreen husband in Ranju Ki Betiyan, her is one of few friends who stood by her in worst of times. "He is like my saheli," she added. About her role in the show, Deepshikha said it different from what she has done earlier. "What I liked about the story, is that it is a mature love story. Talks about love life of parents, Ranju's handling kids alone, and is not just focused on teenage love or anything. "