'Heroes Get Private Chartered Planes While We...': Welcome To The Jungle Star Raveena Tandon's Honest Take On Pay Parity In Film Industry

Raveena Tandon stars in a prominent role in the ensemble comedy entertainer Welcome To The Jungle. The movie, led by Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty and Paresh Rawal alongside many more, features more than 30 actors, one of the biggest ensemble casts for a Bollywood film. The third installment in the franchise is directed by Ahmed Khan, and it has grossed over ₹120 crore worldwide in under a week of its release.

Also read: Alpha Advance Booking Update: Lesson Learnt From Welcome 3, Cocktail 2?

The budget of the movie is pegged at ₹125 crore, including ₹35 crore in cast fees and ₹60 crore allocated as the production cost. Lead actor Akshay Kumar has not taken a conventional, upfront salary for the movie and has instead opted for a profit-sharing model. In a new interview, Ahmed claimed that Welcome 3 has collected ₹120 crore from its OTT rights and music rights pre-release, and is now in profit.

Raveena Tandon is among the cast. Being a part of an ensemble film as big as Welcome 3, the actress reflected on pay parity in the film industry. In an interview with Rediff, she stated that stark pay disparity between male and female actors exists in the industry even today. However, she remained hopeful of a future where actors would be paid the same amount for the same work.

Also read: Bollywood Movies Releasing In Theatres In July: Alpha To Dhamaal 4

"While a male and female assistant director would get the same remuneration, heroines still get paid less than heroes. They get private chartered planes while we don't even make as much money. Unfortunately, that discrimination still exists. But I'm sure, with time, even that will, slowly and steadily, even out," Raveena said.

Welcome To The Jungle has collected ₹81.50 crore in India after five days of its release. Worldwide, the biz stands at over ₹120 crore. The reviews for the movie have been good, with fans hailing its madcap humour.