Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt are buddies who ventured into Bollywood together with Student of the Year.
Six years later, the two have become some of the most sought-after actors in the industry. But that doesn’t mean their career trajectory has been identical; Varun revealed that a gender pay disparity does exist in Bollywood.
All praise for Bhatt, whom he’s worked with on multiple projects since Dhawan shared. “Why has it taken the trade and the industry as a whole until a Raazi to realise that Alia Bhatt is a big star. Be it Badrinath Ki Dulhania, Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania and even 2 States were all hits and Alia Bhatt was just as responsible for its success as I was or Arjun was (Arjun Kapoor was the male lead in 2 States).”
He further added, “He further added, “I would always tell Alia, what are you doing? You take very little money. Are you stupid? Increase your price.”
Kudos to you, VD!
The duo will reunite onscreen once again with Karan Johar’s upcoming flick, Kalank.
In recent times, pay disparity has been a point of much debate. In two of the world’s major film industries, the disparity is rather stark. Previously, actors such as Priyanka Chopra, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Vidya Balan, Kangana Ranaut, Anushka Sharma, Sonakshi Sinha and Katrina Kaif have all spoken about the huge gap between what the leading male stars are paid and what female leads get. Hollywood actors such as Jennifer Lawrence, Patricia Arquette, Emma Stone and Meryl Streep, have been raising their voices against the issue.
Meanwhile, very few men (barring Shah Rukh Khan and Arjun Kapoor) from the industry back home, have spoken on the issue.
Varun will next be seen as Mauji in Sui Dhaaga with Anushka Sharma. The film is scheduled to release on September 28.