Samantha Ruth Prabhu on pay parity in industry, hesitation to play Shakuntala and more

After Priyanka Chopra recently talked about ‘pay parity’ in the industry and how she got equal pay for the first time in her career, it’s South actress Samantha Ruth Prabhu who has spoken on the need for pay equality in the entertainment industry.

She emphasized the importance of breaking gender stereotypes and norms in the industry and said that pay parity should be a byproduct of hard work and success.

Here’s what she said:

Sharing her opinion on pay parity in the industry, Samantha Ruth Prabhu told Pinkvilla, “I want it to be the result of success and hard work. I am fighting hard. Not directly to get paid equally, but I wish it would be the outcome of my efforts and success. People should openly offer me the desired amount without a need to request it.”

She further added, “I think it comes with a lot of hard work. I kept this quote on my bio ‘You must stretch your current capabilities to a limit and little beyond.’ When you are a female in this industry, stretching your capabilities to a limit isn’t all you need to do. You always need to do a ‘little more’ and it comes with a lot of stress as it’s that much difficult.”

On being hesitant to play Shakuntala

The Shakuntalam star revealed why she was initially hesitant to play ‘Shakuntala’ in her film ‘Shaakuntalam’. The actress said that she wasn’t confident about the role at that time and even felt she may never look like her character.

However, she realised that it was her fear that she has been experiencing for years whenever she takes up a new film. Samantha called this fear and dealt with it, her ‘evolution’ as an actor.