The conversation around pay parity in the film industry has resurfaced yet again, and this time, Saif Ali Khan has added his perspective. Speaking recently on a podcast hosted by his sister Soha Ali Khan, the actor addressed the long-running debate about the gender wage gap in Bollywood.
Saif Ali Khan opens up on pay parity in Bollywood
Discussing the debate around pay disparity alongside brother-in-law and actor Kunal Kemmu, Saif said he believes actors of similar standing should ideally earn the same. However, he emphasised that salaries in the film business are strongly linked to box-office economics.
“If the actors are of equal stature, they should be paid the same amount. But I also feel the economics work in a certain way. If you are putting people in seats in the theatre, you get paid accordingly. Everyone understands that relationship,” he said.
Saif further explained that remuneration in the industry is closely tied to an actor’s box-office pull rather than gender. “It’s not like just because you are a certain gender you deserve to be paid more or less. It’s actually a very balanced economic system where people are clear that this person is a superstar because they are filling theatres. They know their worth, charge that price and get paid,” he added.
Kunal Kemmu on the ‘math’ behind actors’ salaries
During the same conversation, Kunal Kemmu also spoke about how actors’ fees are calculated in the industry, pointing to a long-standing financial model tied to distribution and territory sales.
According to him, there has historically been a clear calculation behind how actors are valued in the market. “This is the mathematical part, not whether a film will work or not — that’s a different thing. Earlier, distributors knew that if I have this actor, I can sell a territory for a certain amount of money and that becomes part of the recovery,” he said.
The discussion highlighted how star power, distribution value and audience draw have traditionally played a major role in determining pay scales in Bollywood.