Lara Dutta says rampant pay disparity in Bollywood: ‘Most actresses are paid one-tenth of what the male actor gets, if they are lucky’

Also Read: Lara Dutta reveals rejecting Bipasha Basu’s role in No Entry: ‘I was offered two roles’

When asked about the challenges she faced as an actor back then, the Welcome To The Jungle actress shared, “As a woman, there were plenty of them, one of the biggest ones which we still fight is pay disparity. We work as hard if not harder than most of our male counterparts in the business, but most women still get paid, if they are lucky, one-tenth of what the actor gets paid.”

 

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However, she is optimistic about how the beauty standards and the concept of shelf-life for an actress have evolved in the industry. Commenting on the beauty standards, Lara Dutta says, “It’s in process and there are a lot of wonderful women that have been a part of molding that change in perception.” Talking about her opinion on shelf life of an actress today, Lara adds, “Earlier it was thought that by the time you reached 30, it was time for you to settle down as your career was finished. I never faced that. I am in my 40s now and I haven’t stopped working.”

On the work front, Lara Dutta will be starring in Welcome To The Jungle next and she is rumored to play the role of Kaikeyi in Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana. When asked about Ramayana, the actor played safe, “Who wouldn’t want to be a part of the Ramayana?”