Zeenat Aman opens up about gender pay gap in Bollywood; Says nothing has changed in the last 50 years MGG

Zeenat Aman made her Instagram debut two weeks ago, and since then she has been winning over her fans’ hearts with her wonderful posts. So far, the veteran actress has shared about 12 posts. Along with the pictures, Zeenat Aman has also been sharing interesting anecdotes, musings on her career, and much more. She is being widely praised for using the platform to share insights and highlight relevant issues. In her latest post, Zeenat Aman shared a BTS video of one of her most popular songs Laila O Laila, from the 1980 film Qurbani. She talked about gender pay gap, and expressed her disappointment that women in Bollywood still don’t have wage parity.

Zeenat Aman pens a note on gender pay gap in Bollywood

In the video shared by Zeenat Aman, she is seen dancing to Laila O Laila. Post that, she is seen giving an interview during which she mentions that women were mostly just given ornamental roles in which they sing, dance and prance around the leading man. She added that it is exciting to see women demanding good roles, and refusing roles that are just ornamental. In her caption, Zeenat Aman wrote that the video is from the late 70s, when Keith Adam from the Australian Broadcasting Commission dropped by the set of Qurbani, and interviewed her. She said that it has been nearly 50 years since the footage was shot, and while Bollywood has changed in terms of roles available to women, nothing has changed when it comes to gender pay gap.

“It’s been nearly 50 years since this footage was shot, and the industry has changed immensely since. The roles available to women are clearly not just ornamental anymore. What hasn’t changed though is the gender pay gap. In my time I was lauded as the “highest paid female actor”, but the disparity in the pay cheque between my male co-stars and myself was so vast it was laughable,” she wrote.

She further added, “The Zeenat you see in this clip was quite certain that half a century would be enough time to even the scales. So it disappoints me that even today women in the film industry don’t have wage parity. Women have consistently put in the work, and I really think that the onus is now on our men – actors, directors, producers – to ensure that their female co-workers (not just stars) are paid fairly. It seems such a simple and obvious thing, and yet it would be revolutionary if any man actually did this.”

Shweta Bachchan, Sanjay Kapoor react to Zeenat Aman’s post about gender pay gap in Bollywood

Reacting to Zeenat Aman’s post, Shweta Bachchan wrote, “So well said and put!!!” while Sanjay Kapoor also lauded her and commented, “Well said , Wat a outstanding film.” A fan commented, “@thezeenataman ji, I eagerly wait for your post everyday because of the backstory that you write. It’s very fascinating to know all those what you share,” while another fan wrote, “You have a book somewhere in there on your journey and experience in this industry.”