Veteran Bollywood actress Zeenat Aman recently shared her thoughts on Instagram regarding the evolution of the Hindi cinema business through the years. She did, however, note that the gender wage discrepancy has not changed.
Zeenat Aman opens up on the disparity in pay between male and female actors; says, “It disappoints me that even today women in the film industry don’t have wage parity”
On Saturday, the actress took a trip down memory lane and shared an old clip in which she can be seen dancing on the song ‘Laila O Laila’ from Qurbani in 1980. Sharing the video, she wrote, “In the late 70s, Keith Adam from the Australian Broadcasting Commission popped by the set of Qurbani, where I was rehearsing for ‘Laila o Laila’, and snagged himself an interview.
It’s been nearly 50 years since this footage was shot, and the industry has changed immensely since. The roles available to women are clearly not just ornamental anymore. What hasn’t changed though is the gender pay gap. In my time I was lauded as the “highest paid female actor”, but the disparity in the pay cheque between my male co-stars and myself was so vast it was laughable.
The Zeenat you see in this clip was quite certain that half a century would be enough time to even the scales. So it disappoints me that even today women in the film industry don’t have wage parity. Women have consistently put in the work, and I really think that the onus is now on our men – actors, directors, producers – to ensure that their female co-workers (not just stars) are paid fairly. It seems such a simple and obvious thing, and yet it would be revolutionary if any man actually did this.”
Reacting to the post, a user commented, “Fifty years later we are still fighting the same fight. Ma’am yes we would love for the men to step up but this is still going to be at our doorstep. We are just going to have to fight harder and persist. Make it a priority and not disassociate ourselves from our gender identity till there is equality. Thank you for letting us stand on your shoulders,” while another user wrote, “50 years old footage, and still so cool: Zeenat Aman #timeless.” A commented read, “I am so happy that you are voicing out such things. Even though it’s all talked about over and over, no one actually does much about it. It’s important that people like you bring such conversations to the front and I am happy that you are doing it,” “so good to see you here being the perfect style and substance person! Your presence elevated all your films and now your presence elevates Insta!,” read another comment.
Zeenat Aman is an Indian actress and a former model. The Evil Within (1970), starring Dev Anand, marked the former beauty queen’s acting debut. She has acted in films like Yaadon Ki Baarat, Satyam Shivam Sundaram, Qurbani, Dharam Veer, Hare Rama Hare Krishna, Insaaf Ka Tarazu among others.
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