Deepika first

Film stars are said to jealously guard the order in which their names appear in the opening credits of a movie. Clark Gable was rumoured to have had a top billing clause written into his contract. This Womens Day,Shahrukh Khan revealed that he is no Gable,and not just because he lacks a raffish mustache. Unlike Gable,Khan clearly does give a damn. He has voluntarily relinquished his position at the top of the credits heap in favour of his female co-stars. For his next film,Deepika Padukones name will appear before his in the credits. It is a well-meaning gesture that recognises,at least,how lopsided gender relations are in the film industry.

That Bollywood tends to be more inhospitable towards female actors is well known. When they are young,they are made to pretend to be in love with men several decades older than them. All too soon,they are forced to graduate from love-interest to mother-figure. Pay parity is a concept that seems to elude the Hindi film industry,with even A-listers like Kareena Kapoor taking home a fraction of the money paid to their male colleagues. And behind the scenes,the women directing,producing and writing feature films are notable in part because of how few of them there are.

As a superstar,Khan could touch off a trend that would transcend his sweet but cosmetic gesture. In his role as producer,he can usher in parity in pay and commission scripts with strong female characters. As a powerful actor,he can ask that his co-star be closer to his age.