Priyanka Chopra Jonas’ revelation about receiving equal pay for her work on Citadel has sparked discussions about pay parity in Bollywood. Actress Ameesha Patel also weighed in on the matter, stating that pay parity does not exist in Bollywood or even in Hollywood. In an exclusive conversation with Bollywood Hungama, Patel shared her thoughts on the issue ahead of the release of her upcoming film, Gadar 2.

EXCLUSIVE: Ameesha Patel denies pay parity exists in Bollywood, calls for equal comfort on set; says, “Film is selling because of the hero”

When asked about if pay parity exists in Bollywood, Ameesha straight away denied it and added, “It doesn’t exist in Hollywood also. And to be very honest, a film does ride on a hero’s shoulders. Why are we running away from that? I can say that I want the same pay as my male co-stars. But the truth is, the film is selling because of the hero so he deserves it.”

While saying that she does not want to be “hypocritical at all” or call herself a “female fighter”, she explained, “Give me as much comfort on the set as my male co-star. Because we work in as harsh environmental conditions. And I want to perform my best in fact, for a girl, it’s harder because she has the makeup; she’s in the snow in thin chiffon while the hero is all clad in his winter gear. So it’s harder environmentally for us.”

Concluding her take on the matter, Ameesha asserted, “I will never say that I want the same pay as Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Sunny Deol and Ajay Devgn because the audiences are coming for them. We (female leads) do add a considerable amount in a significant role if we deliver. But how many female-oriented films, if you pick up, have really done those box office numbers that a solo hero film can do? So why should we fool ourselves? I’m not going to be foolish.”

Coming back to Gadar 2, directed by Anil Sharma, it is slated to release on August 11. The film will be clashing with Akshay Kumar’s OMG 2. 

Also Read: EXCLUSIVE: Ameesha Patel says the industry judges a lot: “If I belonged to a film family and I came in Mercedes and my hero was in Maruti 1000, I wouldn’t have been judged”

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