Taapsee Pannu refuses to blame producers for pay disparity, says ‘viewers don’t watch female-led films’

Taapsee Pannu has refused to put the blame on producers for the pay disparity in Bollywood. She says that the actresses are paid less because the viewers do not watch female-led films. The actress pointed out that while the Box Office collection for actors begins on Friday, a female-centric film works only from Monday.

The actress spoke to Bollywood Hungama and said that while producers want to pay the heroines, the audiences do not help the cause. Taapsee explained that a producer is in business and thus, he would look at the numbers.

“Pay parity is not because producers don’t want to pay you. So, stop blaming the industry,” says Taapsee. She then slowly adds, “Only, for this problem.”

“It starts from the level that there aren’t many footfalls,” Taapsee shares. She claims that when it comes to a female-led film, people wait for reviews over advance bookings for the film. On the contrary, she states, that the booking for a male-led film is so high that the film works within the first weekend, while female-led films start minting only from Monday, after word-of-mouth spreads.

“The audiences will also have to contribute towards this change,” the actress stressed. She also stated that movies like Pink and Badla also had an average opening and then became a huge hit thanks to word-of-mouth.

Taapsee is a part of another woman-centric film Shabaash Mithu. The movie is a sports biopic based on the life of woman cricketer Mithila Raj.

Helmed by Srijit Mukherji, this film is slated to release in theatres on July 15. The OTT release date and platform for Shabaash Mithu are yet to be finalized.