Vikrant Massey says most of his female co-stars get paid more than him: Never made a fuss of it because...

Vikrant Massey, who has made a name for himself in the television, film, and OTT industries, recently talked about pay inequality and acknowledged that it does exist in Bollywood. Despite his significant work in the industry, the 36-year-old said in one of his most recent interviews that he is not paid as much as the majority of his female co-stars.

Following his success on television, Vikrant Massey made his feature film debut in 2013 with the Ranveer Singh-starring film Lootera. Later, he appeared in films like Chhapaak, Half Girlfriend, and Dil Dhadakne Do as an actor. 

Vikrant Massey, while interacting with ETimes said that he does not receive the same salary as the majority of his female co-stars, citing the example of his Chhapaak co-star Deepika Padukone. “Bahar ke jo so-called ‘A-listers’ he woh bhi platforms pe films kar rahe he. Humare ‘so-called A-listers’ he yaha ke, superstars he, pichle 15-20 saalon se TV pe kaam kar rahe he.” 

Massey continued, “Most of my female co-stars have been paid more than me, I have never made a fuss about it. My big body of work does not give me as much money as you know, Deepika Padukone, of course.”

Actor Vikrant believes he still has a "long way" to go despite making the leap from television to films.

“My films are not in the cinema (theatres) and I am pretty much aware of that. And I also know why they are not in the cinema, especially when I am leading a cast, is because I still haven’t arrived in the business. There is a long way but I am happy with the way I am doing and the kind of stories I am telling,” he said.

Vikrant added, “The idea has always been and still continues to remain that way, which is to do unconventional stuff, which is closer to me or not closer to me, or be an alternate voice. Probably I was naturally drawn towards these things, whether it was cinema, or like my favourite sports, or reading books, the actors I admire or the kind of cinema I grew up watching.” 

In the lead parts of Gaslight, which also starred Sara Ali Khan and Chitrangada Singh, Vikrant Massey last appeared. Soon, he'll be seen hosting the crime show called Crimes Aaj Kal.