‘Hero has a big say’: Taapsee Pannu on what female actors get paid in films with big male star cast

Actor Taapsee Pannu has shared that she didn't get paid as much, compared to what male leads get for a film; for doing films such as Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Dunki and Varun Dhawan-led Judwaa 2.  

Speaking with Indian Express, Taapsee disclosed that in big films, "the hero has a big say on who the heroine is going to be". The actor added some heroes think that they should "cast someone who will not overshadow me". 

A favour? 

She added, “Funnily, people think I do films like Judwaa or Dunki for money, that I get paid a lot. But no, it is the opposite – I get paid to do more for films that are headlined by me, like a Haseen Dillruba, and other films don’t really pay me much because they feel they are doing a favour by taking me up in that kind of a film. They feel, ‘There is already a big hero, why do we need anybody else for that?’ I fight these notions on a daily basis.” 

How are female roles decided? 

Taapsee also spoke about big-budget films and their male star cast. She said, “Now, even the audience knows that heroes decide who the heroine is going to be in most of their films, until you have a very big, super successful director, who has his or her own audience. Then the director will take a call no matter what. But 75 percent of the times, it is the hero who has a big say on who the heroine is going to be.” 

“Now, obviously, the hero would want someone who is more in trend, someone who is getting more audience attention right now. Some are secure, others think, ‘Let me cast someone who will not overshadow me',” she added. 

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Taapsee's films 

The actor rose to fame mostly because of her choice of films that were often challenging and powerful like Pink, Thappad, Rashmi Rocket, and Shabaash Mithu. She was last seen in Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba and Khel Khel Mein.