Kajol speaks out on pay parity in Indian cinema

Bollywood actress Kajol feels that when a film like Wonder Woman is made for Indian audiences and turns out to be as successful at the box office as Shah Rukh Khan’s Pathaan, Indian cinema will witness pay parity. She was speaking on the sidelines of the 2023 Jagran Film Festival in New Delhi.

When she was asked when will pay equality be achieved in the film industry, Kajol said audiences have become “much more literate” today thanks to social media and exposure to global content through streamers.

“India is progressing… They watch a lot of different types of cinema thanks to social media and OTT. We are thinking better, hoping for better. When you start making a Wonder Woman for India and it does equally well as a Pathaan, then maybe there will be pay equality,” she said.

The award-winning actress also revealed how a project that she was supposed to do with celebrated filmmaker Mani Ratman slipped out of her hand as she had allocated her dates to shoot filmmaker Karan Johar’s directorial debut Kuch Kuch Hota Hai.

“I was supposed to shoot for Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and at that time, I got an offer from Mani Ratnam to do a film for him. First of all, I didn’t believe I got an offer from Mr Ratnam. But things didn’t work out because I had committed those dates to Karan for Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. A lot of people told me ‘You should have done Mani sir’s film’. At that time, I felt that my commitment was more important and it worked in my favour,” she recalled.

Speaking of changing times, Kajol said film personalities have lost their mystery due to the access enabled by social media.

“Everything is on social media. Film stars no longer shine bright in the sky, they now walk among us. They are now grounded people. That is the biggest change, I feel. In a way, it’s good. In a way, it’s something we have lost. It depends on how you look at it. As far as cinema goes, it will always be a reflection of society,” she said.