Priyanka Chopra talks tough on wage gap

Priyanka Chopra has become the latest Bollywood actress to fire a salvo against the wage gap that exists not just in the Indian film industry, but also in businesses. “Somehow professional men are given more remuneration and compensation than women are,” she said in an interview. “As a woman, I don’t understand it, but that’s the world we live in.”

However, she was quick to add that in Bollywood, female actors will start making as much money as their male counterparts, only if the audiences accept their solo movies well. “I don’t want to take away from the male actors who actually bring the audiences in,” she asserted. “So, when you have an Aamir or Salman on the poster, they make '300 crores. But movies with female leads simply do not make that kind of money. The day female lead films make or command that much money, we will make that much too. But for that to happen, the audience needs to watch a movie because it’s got a great story and not just because particular star is in it.”

Priyanka was talking to professional website LinkedIn, for which she’s just been announced an influencer. The actress also spoke about her production house, Purple Pebble Pictures, and its Marathi debut movie, Ventilator.

“I wanted to create a production house that not just encouraged new talent but also gives attention to storytelling,” she explained. “Hence my choice of doing regional films like Bhojpuri and Marathi. A Punjabi film is also on the floors right now. I select the scripts in my company. If my name is on it, I want myself to be on board with it creatively.”