Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], December 1 : Bollywood actor Madhuri Dixit addressed the issue of pay disparity in the film industry, noting that the challenge extends beyond movies and is prevalent across professions. She emphasised that the fight for fair compensation is ongoing and that the struggle for equal pay continues to be a significant concern across all fields.
Madhuri, who has shared screen space with leading Bollywood stars such as Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Aamir Khan, Anil Kapoor and Sanjay Dutt, reflected on whether she had ever needed to assert herself for equal pay during her peak years. She said the imbalance has been universal for women, regardless of the sector they work in.
"In any field, even in corporate businesses or anywhere, there's always a pay parity," she explained, noting that the problem is not new, "Everybody is struggling for that and everybody is trying to state the fact that women should be paid more, not more than the actor, but at least somewhere, you know, where it's balanced."
Her remarks echo a broader industry-wide discussion, led in recent years by several leading actresses, including Bhumi Pednekar, Kriti Sanon, Deepika Padukone, Priyanka Chopra and others, who have spoken openly about pay gaps and structural inequities.
Priyanka Chopra, in particular, has earlier discussed the deeper cultural roots of pay inequality, noting that male insecurity can also play a part. "I have some incredible men in my life who are not insecure of my success, but I also have men in my life who are very insecure of my success..So I think that men have enjoyed the freedom and the pride of being the breadwinners or the leaders of the family...it's threatening to their territory when a woman does that or if a woman is more successful or a man is staying at home and a woman is going out to work..."
On the work front, Madhuri is gearing up for the release of her next project, the thriller-drama series Mrs Deshpande, directed by Nagesh Kukunoor. The series marks her return to OTT and features her in a complex, layered role adapted from the French thriller La Mante.
The show also stars Siddharth Chandekar and Priyanshu Chatterjee in key roles. Produced by Applause Entertainment in association with Kukunoor Movies, Mrs Deshpande is set to premiere on JioHotstar on December 19, 2025.