Raveena Tandon reflects on gender pay gap in 90s Bollywood

Mumbai: Renowned actress Raveena Tandon, acclaimed for her recent role in the legal drama "Patna Shuklla," has opened up about the stark pay disparity between male and female actors during the 1990s Bollywood era.

In a candid conversation with Jist, she highlighted the significant difference in earnings, stating, "The money wasn't great for actresses in those days. Male stars got much more. What they would make in one film, I would make in, say, 15 films. I can't speak for everybody, I can't generalise this. I had to do nearly 15–20 films to make as much money as my male counterparts."

Tandon also touched upon the differing work schedules of male and female actors.

While actors like Aamir Khan and Salman Khan were selective with their film choices, actresses often found themselves working with multiple male leads. Despite this, the overall pay scale for both male and female actors was considerably lower than what it is today.

In a previous interview with NDTV, Tandon revealed that she had declined certain film projects due to discomfort with the costumes or dance sequences.

She stated, "There were times when I said, 'No, I am not going to do this step. No, I am not going to wear this costume.' I have given up so many movies where I was not comfortable with the costumes that I was given to wear. There were so many songs where I have said, ‘Sorry, but I don't think that this is appropriate and I have stood by that.' There have been times where I had to sacrifice a couple of movies and stuff for that. But then, so be it. But I had to live my life my way."

Currently, Raveena Tandon's film "Patna Shuklla" is available for streaming on Disney+ Hotstar. Prior to this release, she was featured in another Hotstar original titled "Karmma Calling."