When Aamir Khan Spoke About Pay Parity In Bollywood: 'Heroines Work Hard But So Do Cameramen'

Bollywood actor Aamir Khan, aka the Mr Perfectionist of Bollywood, is known for speaking his mind, especially when it comes to issues related to the film industry. While the actor is currently on a break from work, an old video of him has gone viral on the internet in which he can be seen speaking up on the pay parity in showbiz.

In the video, the interviewer can be seen asking Aamir about the reason behind actresses not getting equal pay as their male counterparts.

To that, the actor can be heard explaining that the remuneration of an artist is determined by the number of people they can draw in.

Aamir Khan on pay parity in Bollywood

In the video, he said, "The fact of the matter is that your fee is connected to your ability to fill the theatre. Now yes, heroines work very hard, but so do cameramen, so do the light boys on set. All of us should be paid equally. Everyone works hard."

The interviewer went on to ask him if he was comparing actresses with light boys on set, and to that, Aamir clarified that he was comparing the himself to the light boy too.

"I am not saying heroine and the light boy. I am saying all of us are working hard. I am working hard and so is the light boy. Why is he paid differently from me? It's not because he is a man or a woman," he explained.

'It has nothing to do with male or female': Aamir

Further in the video, Aamir can be seen explaining that pay parity in the film industry has nothing to do with gender, but the fact that how much money can be brought back in theatres.

"The reason why you’re paid differently in cinema is because the market forces understand that you’re able to bring that much money back into a film. So, if I am paid Rs 10, it’s because I can bring back that money and more. If Rani (Mukerji) can fill in more seats than I can, 101 per cent she will be paid more than me," he stated.

He added that the market forces will make sure that the actress gets more money if she can draw that much more crowd to theatres on her name. "It is your ability to pull people in," he said.