One of only four Indians to appear in the BBC’s list of “100 Women” this year is Priyanka Chopra. In a related interview, the actor has since disclosed that things were not always as rosy for the actress. She discussed how in her early days in Bollywood, she was never paid equally to the male protagonist and how men were given special treatment on the movie sets.
“I’ve never had pay parity in Bollywood. I would get paid about 10% of the salary of my male co-actor. It’s (the pay gap) large, substantially large. And so many women still deal with that. I’m sure I will too if I worked with a male co-actor now in Bollywood,” Priyanka said. “My generation of female actors have asked (for equal pay). We’ve asked, but we’ve not got it.”
Priyanka also discussed the treatment she received while working on sets and how she accepted it as usual. My male co-actor basically took his own time and decided whenever he wanted to show up on set when we would film, she said. “I believed it was completely OK to sit for hours and hours on set,” she said.
Citadel will be the first time when Priyanka will have a male co-lead
When Priyanka revealed that Citadel will be the first time she has a male co-lead, Richard Madden, she also discussed how things are different in Hollywood. “Well, the first time it’s happened to me, it has happened in Hollywood. So I don’t know going forward,” she said.
Citadel, a Russo Brothers production, will debut on Prime Video’s OTT. Richard Madden and Priyanka are both featured in the new sci-fi drama series, which is created and helmed by Patrick Morgan. Alongside Sam Heughan, Priyanka will appear in the international film Love Again.
Priyanka Chopra will be a part of Farhan Akhtar’s Jee Le Zaraa, a Bollywood film that promises to be another story of friendship in the tradition of Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara and Dil Chahta Hai. According to reports, Jee Le Zaraa will shortly begin production and be released in the summer of 2023.