Not Content To Be Second Leads

Though petted, fussed over and held up as glamorous icons, they had silently suffered the indignity of taking home far lesser pay than their male counterparts for generations. Then, the discontent simmering beneath the surface splendour of actresses burst forth into the open at the 2015 Oscars ceremony. Up on the podium to receive the best supporting actress award, Patricia Arquette let it rip. “To every woman who gave birth, to every taxpayer and citizen of this nation, we have fought for everybody else’s equal rights,” she said. “It is time to have wage equality once and for all. And equal rights for women of United States of America.” Her speech received a standing ovation; in the audience, Meryl Streep and Jennifer Lopez cheered wildly.

Since then, gender pay disparity is talked about openly in Hollywood. In the Indian entertainment industry, where the same situation obtains, things are finally changing, but at a snail’s pace. Actress Pallavi Joshi says, “There has always been a gender pay disparity in the entertainment industry because it has been very man-centric—hero-worshipping, never heroine-worshipping. We have accepted heroes advanced in age as college-going boys. The moment a woman turns recognisably 30 people start saying, arey yeh toh buddhi dikhney lage (She has started looking old). This was the mentality till the new generation came about.”

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Even now, films with strong female protagonists—female-centric, in contemporary parlance—are sold at a lower price to distributors because of the prevalent belief that they aren’t profitable. Actress Shefali Shah once told Outlook, “Our industry is still male-dominated and it reflects in everything, from roles to remuneration. An actress is cast as a female lead till she’s 25. This doesn’t apply to male actors.”

The recent World Economic Forum Global Gender Gap 2021 report is a ref­lection of India’s tardy progress and commitment towards bridging the gender gap.  Tanya Singh, director, IPE Global, says, “With several of its neighbours doing better, the dip is an indication of how India distributes resources and opportunities inequitably between women and men. It is not encouraging to see India as the third-worst performer in South Asia.” With the highest level of ine­quality in politics (22 per cent women) coupled with a widening of the gender gap in economic participation by three per cent this year, India needs to address the issue urgently. Singh adds, “It is imperative to invest and commit to these areas for a promising future…. We do not want to wait for a century to bring equality between men and women.”

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In a chat with Neha Dhupia on her podcast No Filter Neha, Taapsee Pannu opened up about the issue. She talked about how she has been paid a mere five to ten per cent of the male lead’s pay. “Just look at the number of male directors we have,” says Joshi. “You can count the number of female directors on one hand. Again, how many are actually successful and has been considered ‘good’?”

However, with a steady trickle of women-oriented movies, actresses are claiming their due at last. Yet Joshi still feels, “There is going to be a long time before the pay disparity between female and male stars is erased. They pay Akshay Kumar Rs 40 crore plus as producers and filmmakers feel success is guaranteed. Women too need to rise up to that challenge and make a film work.”

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New initiatives are also afoot to hasten the process. Ekta Kapoor, Guneet Monga and Tahira Kashyap Khurrana recently launched a cinema collective, Indian Women Rising, which will discover and nurture Indian female talent in cinema. Spearheaded by three prolific women industry stalwarts, this passion project is born with a sole purpose of disrupting the status quo and amplifying the voice of female film-makers.

Tahira says, “The fact that women comprise barely five per cent of directors is a matter of concern, so we felt that an intention of empowering other women was needed.” To this, film-maker Guneet Monga adds, “When a woman enters a room, her abilities are doubted. I hope mainstream cinema recognises and celebrates women creators.”

Most actresses strongly believe it’s time that long-ingrained perceptions and thought processes changed—like the assumption that women are only pretty appendages in a film, while highly-paid male actors are the ones audiences want to watch. Actress Shweta Tripathi explains, “If we want to see the change, we need to be the change and that needs to happen not only in the entertainment industry, but across industries. If girls are treated at par with boys in society, only then will there be change.”

After being in the industry for ten years, Tripathi feels she should be paid for her time and the value she adds to the project. “I am happy that things are changing vis-a-vis wage parity. When I set a price for a project I don’t compare or ask what my co-actors are getting. My manager and I fix the price and we stick to it,” adds Tripathi.

Talking about how difficult the industry has been for women, actor-producer Pooja Bhatt, who made a comeback as an actress with Bombay Begums, says in a recent interview with Outlook, “Stepping into production was like getting into the big boys’ club. I was told, ‘you are a commercial actor and have your best years ahead of you. Why do you want to give that up and start making movies?’” In spite of her privileged, insider background, people questioned her ability. “Navigating a man’s world, I really had to put in a lot of effort to deliver films like Zakhm, Tamanna and Dushman. Even after winning two national awards there were doubters,” she says.

Talking about how rampantly meagre the pays and privileges are for women in comparison with male actors, act­ress Maanvi Gagroo says, “In addition to the fee, other things differ—the type of vanity van, hotel room, staff costs etc., where the gender disparity is starkly in favour of males.” Actress Kubra Sait weighs in: “If more films are made with female on the lead roles, it will lead to a decline in the pay gap, which we are rooting for.” Sait notes with hope that in OTT platforms, the gap is significantly lesser. “The world of cinema is ever evolving and has now moved beyond just box office releases and that has changed the maths.”

Actress Richa Chadda believes that Bollywood only rewards box office success. She tells Outlook, “What you earn depends on the money your last film earned. This has been my experience. I have seen projects where the female lead has earned a few times more than the male lead, as she was a bigger star. I have been paid at par, if not more, than my male counterparts of equal standing.”

Some actresses believe that with the change in the trade winds due to OTTs as well as more awareness, women are increasingly being more assertive in matters of gender bias. They can afford to do too, with female-centric films performing supremely well at the box office. Actress producer and director Divya Khosla Kumar says, “This change has catapulted women to the top league and I think a gender pay gap is no longer exi­stent, with female leads being paid the same or sometimes even more than men! It’s a great feeling to see women on top!”