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| By Komal Nahta (HT Brunch), July 18, 2006 - 09:00 IST | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Guys and Dolls While on the topic of starbucks, if you're wondering why we've only been talking about heroes so far, here's the bad news about Bollywood. It isn't politically correct. Gender inequality rules here. Bollywood heroines never get paid as much as the heroes, and that holds true even if the script is female-oriented. For a predominantly woman-centric film, the hero may have a shorter role and may, therefore, get half his usual fee, but that does not mean the leading lady would get paid as much as a hero in a normal film.
That's because films are sold on the strength of the hero/heroes' names and not on the basis of who the heroine/s is/are. The film-viewing habits of a large section of our masses are also governed by the male cast in the films. That's why no heroine has ever been paid prices like Rs 5, 4 or even 3 crores. Aishwarya Rai, Rani Mukherji and Preity Zinta come in the top bracket and charge around Rs. 1.5 to 2 crore each. Kareena Kapoor reportedly signed Harry Baweja's futuristic film, Love Story 2050, two years ago for Rs. 2.25 crore, a fee that she doesn't command even now. But Baweja offered her this premium because she agreed to work opposite a rank newcomer - his son Harman Baweja. That Kareena recently opted out of the project is a different story. But there are more complications to star prices than reversal of the law of gravity and inflation. Stars' fees are never constant. They generally vary from banner to banner, depending on the star's relationship with the producer. For instance, Preity Zinta may not charge Karan Johar the fee she charges a lesser filmmaker. In fact, that's what cost Kareena Kapoor Kal Ho Naa Ho. Though Kareena worked in Karan Johar's Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham at a concessional rate, she's reported to have asked the late Yash Johar for her full market price for Kal Ho Naa Ho, because the film was to be directed by first - time director Nikhil Advani and not by Karan Johar. This annoyed the Johars. Their banner, they felt, was more important than the person directing the film, so out went Kareena, and in came Preity. Preity's respect for the Johar banner paid off. Already one of the more popular actresses in the industry, Kal Ho Naa Ho made Preity hotter than she ever was, and she'll always be available for a Karan Johar film. |
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