Actor Kriti Sanon has become one of the most vocal voices in Bollywood when it comes to addressing gender pay disparity. Speaking at a recent CNN-News18 event, she questioned why male and female actors should be paid unequally when the roles and efforts are the same.
Kriti explained that the problem goes beyond just salaries. She pointed out that female-led films are often made on smaller budgets compared to male-led projects, primarily because producers fear they will not make enough money back. “Even if it’s a film led by a woman, I feel it’s not scaled at the same budget as a film led by a man. That leads to lower box office numbers, and then the justification becomes that the actor’s fees should be less. It’s a cycle that needs to be broken,” she said.
Despite the challenges, Kriti remains optimistic about change. She highlighted that content-driven films are slowly taking precedence, regardless of gender. Citing the success of her 2024 film Crew, co-starring Tabu and Kareena Kapoor, which grossed ₹157 crore worldwide, she stressed the importance of investing in high-budget films led by women.
On the professional front, Kriti is gearing up for several exciting projects, including Aanand L. Rai’s Tere Ishq Mein with Dhanush, followed by Cocktail 2 with Shahid Kapoor and Rashmika Mandanna.
