Of late, Kareena Kapoor Khan has been braving a lot of trolling from the masses. The internet has decided to not be kind to her as she adjusts to being a mother to a newborn for a second time around.
However, that is not all. She has also been criticised heavily for demanding a hike in pay to play the role of the mythical Sita in a telling of the Ramayana for the silver screen.
The reports of her demanding Rs 12 crore have led to incessant trolling. In an interview, the actress has decided to address the issue.
She may be having a tough time with the masses as of now but is glad to see a shift in the way the conversation about money goes in the industry when it comes to women. In the interview with Guardian, Kapoor Khan said, “Just a few years ago, no one would talk about a man or woman actually getting equal pay in a movie. Now there are a lot of us being very vocal about it.”
The role she demanded the raise for would require for her to train for 8 to 10 months. The reports had made many name her greedy and caused an outrage that necessitated she be replaced with a younger actress. Religion also became a part of the conversation. The actress was unphased.
“I make it quite clear what I want and I think that respect should be given. It’s not about being demanding, it’s about being respectful towards women. And I think things are kind of changing,” she said in the interview.
The wage gap in Indian cinema is drastic. Male leads have been paid the upside of Rs 100 crore. The highest pay a woman has received is close to a quarter of that.
In that very interview, she talks about more change that she has been able to see in the way Bollywood functions.
When Kareena Kapoor Khan got married, her career had been in a steady place, with many roles coming her way. People expressed concerns about that changing if she does get hitched. “When I married Saif, so many people told me that my career would be over because no producer wants to work with a married actress,” she says.
“At that time, no other Bollywood actress got married and then continued to work. But I just thought: OK, well, if it does end my career, then that’s fine, that’s my destiny. I’m not going to not marry the person that I love.” However, her career did not take the hit she was made to believe it would.
Actresses have begun to be open about the way they want to be treated in their profession. Recently, reports claimed that Deepika Padukone exited a Sanjay Leela Bhansali project, one where her husband Ranveer Singh was the lead, as her demand for a payment equal to him was denied.
