Actor Taapsee Pannu is currently gearing up for the release of her sports biographical film Shabaash Mithu. Ahead of the film’s premiere, the Bollywood diva is taking part in promotional events to make the film a success. In a recent interaction with Bollywood Hungama, Taapsee Pannu candidly spoke about the pay disparity that exists in Bollywood.
She revealed that the entire budget of Shabaash Mithu, a woman-centric movie, is equivalent to the salary of an A-list male actor in Bollywood. She mentions that the situation of female actors has drastically changed in recent times, however, Taapsee believes that there’s a long way to go. “Shabaash Mithu is my biggest budget film as a protagonist but still the budget of my entire film is equivalent to the budget of an A-lister (male actor)’s salary,” she said.
Taapsee said that when she counts A-listers, she isn’t counting male leads who are on the top of the ladder. According to her, the ones who are just a little lower down the ladder are paid the amount which is equivalent to her film’s budget as their salary.
Having said that, Taapsee also appreciated that changes have finally begun to happen. The actress believes that the industry is taking smaller steps towards moving ahead in the right direction. She explained if this question were to arise a decade ago, she wouldn’t have been promoting a women-centric film like Shabaash Mithu. She added, “So, things have changed, but not anywhere it could be called equal.”
Helmed by Srijit Mukherji, Shabaash Mithu is based on the life of former Test and ODI captain of the Indian women’s cricket team, Mithali Raj. Made under the banner of Viacom18 Studios, the movie stars Taapsee Pannu playing the role of Mithali Raj. The biographical movie chronicles the life of the woman cricketer, the turnaround moments, and the ups and lows of her sports journey. The movie is all set to hit the big screens on July 15 this year.
