EXCLUSIVE: Taapsee Pannu does not blame only the industry for pay disparity; says, “Audience ko bhi change mein contribute karna padega”

With awards and accolades in her kitty, Taapsee Pannu will next be seen in yet another unconventional film. Breaking stereotypes and setting trends is what the actress aims at and needless to say, her films too contribute in sending out a similar message. In a candid interview with Bollywood Hungama, for the promotions of her film Shabaash Mithu, Taapsee Pannu spoke about challenges of being a professional working woman, gender discrimination, and most importantly pay disparity.

Although there are several actresses who have spoken about pay disparity in the past, Taapsee Pannu had a different outlook towards this remuneration discrimination. While speaking to Bollywood Hungama, she spoke about audience’s choices and how they too have to contribute to the change if they wish to see it. She said, “Pay parity is not about producers not wanting to give money. So, stop blaming the industry only for this problem. It starts from the level where there are not many footfalls when it comes to female driven film. When it comes to a female driven film, people wait for reviews more than advance bookings. When it comes to a male driven film, the advance bookings are so high that the footfalls are collected within the first weekend itself, i.e. on Friday, Saturday, Sunday.”

She further added, “For a female driven film, we have to wait for a Monday because by then, there is ample word of mouth and reviews which give us a brief idea about the film. We have to undergo the review test whereas many male driven films end up opening big without any of these. So audiences too will have to contribute to this change, that’s when we can bring about the change we desire to see.”

When asked about her successful films like Badla and Pink which garnered good numbers, the actress maintained that the rise in the popularity was an eventual curve with ample credit to word of mouth. She explained, “Again they were eventual numbers. All the films started off very average in number. And when I say average, at that time, even those numbers which approximately amounted to Rs. 4 to 5 crores was a huge thing for us. And then eventually with time, it reached the Rs. 80-90 crore mark. Obviously, the word mouth really helped us.”

“We are still in that situation where to have a big opener film, it has to be associated with a big hero presence or it has to have a big filmmaker backing you,” she concluded.

Taapsee Pannu will next be seen as the Indian cricketer Mithali Raj in the latter’s biopic Shabaash Mithu that highlights the challenges of a woman aspiring to be on the Indian cricket team.

Also Read: EXCLUSIVE: Taapsee Pannu reveals the budget of Shabaash Mithu; compares it to an A-lister’s salary

R Madhavan speaks up on lack of commitment from actors; Akshay Kumar reacts

R Madhavan, who was seen promoting Rocketry – The Nambi Effect that released yesterday, has been speaking about a wide range of topics. While he earlier revealed about his opinion about his Bollywood debut Rehnaa Hai Tere Dil Mein (RHTDM) remake, he also mentioned that he wouldn’t like to play Manu from Tanu Weds Manu anymore. After all that, in yet another set of reports, when the actor made a statement about some actors not giving ample time for their projects, it was fueled up to be a dig on Akshay Kumar, who was last seen in Samrat Prithviraj.

A video of R Madhavan comparing actors who complete their films in 40-45 days to actors who dedicate a year or more for a project went viral on social media. In the said video, the Rocketry actor was seen saying, “Jaise ke Pushpa mein Allu Arjun ne woh character ko throughout maintain kiya hai. Woh kamaal ke dikhte hai aur dance bhi karte hain. Lekin uss film unhone uss character ko maintain karte hue unhone romance bhi kiya aur dance bhi. Toh mujhe lagta hai ki aisa ek actor ka commitment hota hai jahan pe filmein 3-4 mahine mein nahi banti par saalon lag jaata hai.” (For example, In Pushpa, Allu Arjun has managed to maintain his character throughout. Because we all know, he looks great and he is a good dancer too. But in this film, he has maintained his look so well that he has romanced and danced with that avatar. So it is basically the commitment of the actor where he doesn’t give dates for 3-4 months but dedicates a year or more towards the project).

 

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Questioning about the same, Akshay Kumar was asked about R Madhavan’s comment during the song launch of Tere Saath Hoon Main from his forthcoming film Raksha Bandhan. The actor replied to it adding, “Meri filmein khatam ho jaati hai, main kya karun. Ab ek director aata hai aur kehta hai aapka kaam khatam. Toh ab kya main usse ladun?” (My films get over. When a director comes and says that your work here is done, what should I do? Shall I fight with him?)

Director of the film, Aanand L. Rai too added, “Inhone toh bol bol ke aisa kar diya hai ki main 40-45 din mein filmein complete kar deta hoon. Par, inka hisaab gadbad hai. Inhone logon ko gumraah kiya hua hai yeh bol bolke. 40-45 din kaunse waale, jahan yeh subah aate hain and shaam ko jab tak kaam na ho tab tak rehte hain? Inko pata nahi hai ki log inko bolke leke jaate hain 40-45 din par hote hain inke 80-90 din humare paas, agar aap time ke hisaab se calculate karein toh.” (It is because he kept saying he takes 40-45 days to complete a film and that has now become synonymous with him. But let me tell you that this is wrong information. Actually, by saying this, he has leading people astray with this statement because which 40-45 days are we talking about. The one where he starts at 6am and continues till our work is also done? I guess it is people who keep telling him that they have only 40-45 days of work. Because honestly, if you calculate as per time, he gave us about 80-90 days).

“Yeh humare saath aake ludo khel sakte hain itna time hota hai inke paas,” (He has time to play Ludo with us), he concluded.

Also Read: Song launch event: Tere Saath Hoon Main from Raksha Bandhan ft. Akshay Kumar | Aanand L Rai

Manoj Bajpayee recalls his first time going to a nightclub; claims Shah Rukh Khan was the one who introduced him to nightlife

Manoj Bajpayee was recently in Ranchi shooting for his currently underproduction venture Joram. Though the actor who will also soon be commencing The Family Man season 3 has his hands full, recently in an interaction he opened up about his acting school days. Sharing a memory from the past, while also reminiscing about the days gone by, Bajpayee opened up about his first visit to a nightclub. Interestingly, Manoj credits none other than Shah Rukh Khan for introducing him to nightlife.

Talking about the incident in an interview with Galatta Plus, Manoj says, “Shah Rukh was with Barry, I was with Barry, at the same time. So many friends who were there that night, I am still in touch with them, still very good friends. Shah Rukh’s life has become different from ours. I still remember looking for shoes to get into the discotheque, because I was in chappals.” Further talking about the club itself, Manoj Bajpayee states that it was a rather ‘dark and dingy’ place, “It was in Delhi, Maurya. Ghungroo was the name of the discotheque if I remember correctly. Yes, Shah Rukh Khan, Benny, and Rama, these were the people who took me. That was the first time I experienced a discotheque.”

Not surprisingly, this isn’t the first time Manoj has shared memories from the past. Earlier the actor had revealed that Shah Rukh Khan has always been the charmer, in fact, Bajpayee even detailed how SRK would arrive in his red Maruti van, and how popular the now, King of Bollywood used to be with the girls.

Back on the work front, Manoj Bajpayee is currently filming for Despatch and Gulmohar.

Also Read: Manoj Bajpayee honoured in Jharkand

SHOCKING! Vijay Deverakonda bares it all; poses naked in this poster of Liger

Vijay Deverakonda will be making his much talked about Bollywood debut with Liger, to be directed by famous South filmmaker Puri Jagannadh. The film, which also features Ananya Panday, is expected to feature in a power-packed action role but a recent poster of the Arjun Reddy actor has left his audience shocked.

In this photo, that reads ‘Saala Crossbreed’, we can see Vijay Deverakonda baring it all out, as he poses with no clothes. A bouquet of roses is tactically placed that covers his private parts but the naked photo has definitely captivated his audience. Karan Johar, who is also the producer of the film, shared this photo on his Instagram handle. Here, have a look at the post:

 

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Directed by Puri Jagannadh, the film also stars famous boxer Mike Tyson in a pivotal role. As per earlier reports, Liger will feature the beastly side of Vijay Deverakonda whereas his chemistry with Ananya Panday is yet another intriguing element in the film. It is slated to release on August 25, 2022. If certain reports are to be believed, the actor will be kicking off the promotions very soon.

Also Read: Vijay Deverakonda hints at starting promotions for upcoming project Liger

Ranbir Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor fly to Mauritius for Luv Ranjan’s upcoming romantic comedy film

Ranbir Kapoor, who recently caught the internet off guard after wife Alia Bhatt announced her pregnancy news, has reportedly flown to Mauritius with co-star Shraddha Kapoor for upcoming, untitled romantic-comedy film by Luv Ranjan.

According to a report in an outlet, the actor and Shraddha will be shooting in Mauritius until the first week of July and then Ranbir will get busy with Shamshera’s promotional campaign. The director Luv plans to shoot a few important sequences of his film in specific locations for which he thought Mauritius was best. After first week in July, Ranbir returns to Mumbai for Shamshera promotions.

Earlier in March, the makers had officially announced the release date of the film. “Luv Ranjan’s untitled next featuring Ranbir Kapoor & Shraddha Kapoor will release in cinemas on Holi, March 8, 2023! Produced by Luv Ranjan and Ankur Garg, presented by Gulshan Kumar and Bhushan Kumar,” read the note posted on Luv Films’ official Instagram handle.

Meanwhile, Ranbir Kapoor also has Ayan Mukerji’s Brahmastra, Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Animal with Rashmika Mandanna and Shamshera alongside Vaani Kapoor and Sanjay Dutt. Shraddha, on the other hand, has Chaalbaaz in London and Nagin in her pipeline.

Also Read: Ranbir Kapoor loves these two Bollywood movies and they have Raj Kapoor and Shah Rukh Khan connection 

EXCLUSIVE: Taapsee Pannu reveals the budget of Shabaash Mithu; compares it to an A-lister’s salary

Taapsee Pannu often chooses women-oriented roles, and is also an avid supporter of women’s rights and a firm believer in equality. The actress, who is doing Shabaash Mithu, a film on female cricketer, spoke about her fight for equal opportunities in this exclusive interview with Bollywood Hungama. When she was asked about the condition of heroines and actresses in films, the actress also revealed about how budgets etc. showcase the disparity between male-oriented and female-oriented films.

In her interview with Bollywood Hungama, Taapsee Pannu got candid about the budget of her release Shabaash Mithu as he compared it to the salary of an A-lister. While speaking about how there is one Sridevi who is a superstar but there are many male actors who are superstars, the actress also mentioned that female actresses lack opportunities. In the same breath, she mentioned, “Shabaash Mithu is my biggest budget film as a protagonist but still the budget of my entire film is equivalent to the budget of an A-lister (male actor)’s salary.”

Elaborating on it, Taapsee added, “And A-listers means I am talking about A-listers who are not at the top of the ladder. I am talking about those who are a little lower down the ladder. Their salary is the budget of my entire film. The situation is still like that. So there is still a long way for us to go.”

She also mentioned that as actresses we have started this subject and we have moved ahead in the right direction where we trying to bring down these differences. “I am sure if this was 10-12 years ago, I wouldn’t have been sitting here and promoting a film like this. So, things have changed, but not anywhere it could be called equal,” she maintained.

Speaking of Shabaash Mithu, the film is inspired by the life of female cricketer Mithali Raj and her journey of dreaming to be a cricketer amidst a male-dominated sport. Directed by Srijit Mukherjee, the film releases on July 15.

Also Read: USHA associates with Taapsee Pannu starrer Shabaash Mithu, a biopic on Mithali Raj

Kajol to make her web series debut with a Suparn Varma - Disney+Hotstar series

Of late, we are aware that Kajol has been going the unconventional way when it comes to her choice of films. While she has already made her OTT debut with a film, the actress has apparently agreed to come on board for a web-series to be directed by The Family Man 2 fame Suparn Varma. The web-series will premiere on Disney+Hotstar, interestingly, which also features the web show Rudra starring Ajay Devgn.

If reports from Peeping Moon are to be believed, Kajol has been signed on for this project as it requires a strong female lead. It is being said that the actress will portray the role of a mother and wife who is forced to enter the career bandwagon for the sake of her family. A source was reportedly quoted saying, “"Kajol will play the role of a new-age mom for one more time, however, this show has a lot more to it than meets the eye. It’s an intense drama with crime, politics, and family all thrown in to make it an engaging watch. It’s a high-concept storyline and has been planned as a multi-season show. “

As per these reports Suparn Varma has already started work on this project and he is already focusing on the pre-production of the Kajol starrer. From what we hear, the show will be produced by Banijay Asia of the Banijay Group. The makers are keen on wrapping up the project, so as to prep for a 2023 release on Disney+Hotstar’s slate for 2023!

On the other hand, Kajol has made her debut on OTT with with the Netflix film Tribhanga which was a story of three generation of unconventional women who followed their heart and made choices based on what they wanted, breaking and challenging society stereotypes. It also starred Tanvi Azmi and Mithila Palkar in lead roles along with Kajol.

Also Read: BREAKING: Gupt’s special screening to be held in Mumbai on the occasion of its 25th anniversary; Bobby Deol, Manisha Koirala, and Kajol to grace the screening