How much was Richa Chadha paid for the 2012 film 'Gangs of Wasseypur'? Actor reveals

For Richa Chadha, her breakthrough film 'Gangs of Wasseypur', turned out to be a cult film that is till date talked about for its cinematic brilliance. But did you know how much was the actor paid for it? In an in-depth blog post, Richa raised an issue — 'why can't actors be paid royalty' and went on to reveal her fees for the Anurag Kashyap film.

"I was paid Rupees 2,50,000 (two lacs fifty thousand) for ‘Gangs Of Wasseypur’ both parts and that’s alright. Kashyap took a chance on me, and for that I am forever grateful. I didn’t even expect to be paid for a break like that. The film went on to become a cult hit. My continuing career is testament to that," Richa wrote on her blog.

Coming back to the topic of 'earning royalty', Richa said, "So why can't actors be paid royalty? It is a small price to pay for the loss of perpetual anonymity. Ditto for directors? Writers?  Someone somewhere must make money from a film’s continued popularity."

Chadha wrote, "If I am not wrong, again, (going by rules for residual payments in other film industries) even if I were to earn royalty of this film, (*if I worked under the SAG guidelines, I would only be getting a small percentage, under different categories capped at a maximum of 6.2 percent). Does it make sense that a huge star like Parveen Babi allegedly didn't have enough money for her treatment in her final years? Ditto Hangal Saab? Or that Bhagwan Dada lived in a chawl in his final years?"

"I am aware my desire to see all credited departments get their due in terms of royalty is the most unrealistic dream. It just will not happen, at least not in my life time. But since structures all around us are crumbling, perhaps we can build anew from the rubble. Am extolled man has said to turn adversity into opportunity. However, most have conveniently misunderstood this to mean ‘opportunism’.  We have a chance. Let's use this pause to evolve," Richa concluded.

Richa Chadha bats for gender parity in film industry; holds 'equality is non-negotiable'

ALSO READ | Richa Chadha shares hard-hitting blog post on Sushant's death, slams trolls & media