In a recent interview, Priyanka Chopra, who is a global figure, spoke about the pay disparity, gender discrimination and how skin colour can cost you a meaty role
Priyanka Chopra
Priyanka Chopra. Picture Courtesy: Instagram/priyankachopra
Priyanka Chopra undoubtedly is a global icon and is making India proud on the western shores. Though the desi girl is touching the skies with her phenomenal acting skills and talent, she had to face the brunt of certain things because she's a woman and has brown skin? The Baywatch actress, in an interview to a magazine, InStyle revealed many facets like the huge pay disparity between men and women in the film industry, be it Hollywood or Bollywood, gender discrimination and how she lost out on a meaty role because of her skin colour.
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Talking about the remuneration disparity, Priyanka Chopra told the magazine, "I feel it every year, especially when you're doing movies with really big actors, whether it's in India or America. If an actor is getting 100 bucks, the conversation will start with max, like, 8 bucks. The gap is that staggering."
The Quantico actress further said, "In America, we don't talk about it as brashly, whereas in India the issue is not skirted around. I've been told straight up if it's a female role in a movie with big, male actors attached, your worth is not really considered as much."
Priyanka, who herself is a producer, says that she is aware of her worth and therefore quotes according to her ability to bring back in return to the table. "I'm a producer, so I understand how much of an asset, as an actor, I would be on a project… I don't negotiate—I make my [agent] negotiate. That's step one. But I think negotiating is important. I'm not someone who is demanding. I'm conversational. So, when I talk money, I'm not going to be asking for ridiculous amounts that I might not be able to bring back. It starts with me being logical and saying, 'I deserve that much in remuneration. These are the returns that I see myself bringing to the table.' And, usually, most people come around when you place it like that," told the Bajirao Mastani actress.
When the magazine asked the actress if she has ever been on the receiving end in terms of pay disparity, she asserted that an Indian studio cited gender as the reason for it. "A producer-director said to me, 'Well, you know how it is in these big tentpole movies with the big boys. This is the budget for the girl, and we can't move beyond that,' which was, like, a measly five percent of what [the male lead] was getting," she added.
The producer-actor went on to state that it's the scenario is similar on the foreign land, too. "It happens in both countries, it's just that here, its hidden behind other things. In America, everyone is so worried about being liable that they don't want to say anything wrong, but they end up doing it anyway."
Priyanka, who is one of the biggest actors in India, had to face the wrath of having a brown skin in Hollywood. She narrated a story of how she lost out on a meaty role because of her brown skin. "It happened last year… I was out for a movie, and somebody [from the studio] called one of my agents and said, 'She's wrong—what word did they used?—'physicality.' So in my defense as an actor, I'm like, 'Do I need to be skinnier? Do I need to get in shape? Do I need to have abs?' Like, what does 'wrong physicality' mean? And then my agent broke it down for me. Like, 'I think, Priy, they meant that they wanted someone who's not brown.' It affected me."
Also Read: Priyanka Chopra To Opt Out Of Quantico For Salman Khan's Bharat?
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