Amrutha Iyengar: ‘Heroines cannot really make money only from cinema'

Kannada actress Amrutha Iyengar, who made her debut with Duniya Suri’s Popcorn Monkey Tiger and has been a part of films like Badava Rascal and Love Mocktail, among others, was on Gold Class with Mayuraa recently, talking about the challenges that come with life as an actress and one of her biggest peeves was that despite a good filmography to her credit, it does not really reflect in her bank account. Making a decent living with the remuneration from cinema alone is impossible, she reckons.

Also read: Exclusive! Thanks to Badava Rascal, I am no longer seen as the girl who ditches the hero: Amrutha Iyengar 

Amrutha Iyengar: Heroines make money from...

Given that most actresses are only paid a minute fraction of what a leading man gets, but have to spend more on their upkeep – clothes, makeup, skincare, haircare, etc. – the only way to maintain a glamourous lifestyle is by doing paid gigs like store openings, events, performances and social media collaborations. Those are what really bring in the money, says the actress, who will next be seen with Darling Krishna in The Father.

“If someone says they are making a decent living from cinema, that’s a lie. Whatever remuneration is decided upon doesn’t come to us at one shot. What also happens is that sometimes, you tend to forget that was agreed upon. For instance, when working with certain banners they expect you to work on trust and not an agreement. So, you end up having a verbal agreement. Many times, I have forgotten what I’d asked for and then, later, they claim they’ve already paid all that’s owed, when that may not be the case. There’s just so much gap between payments that it becomes difficult to keep track,” says Amrutha.

Also read: Amrutha Iyengar on acting in Love Mocktail 2: Challenging to get same look and mannerisms 

The actress adds that being in the film industry has taught her the importance of being financially independent. In her career so far, Amrutha says that she has been fortunate enough to have been a part of a few good films that performed well commercially as well, but as far as savings goes, her investments are in her wardrobe - clothes. “I feel bad saying this, but if I don’t have money, imagine the plight of others. Many won’t even openly talk about it,” she says.