Aahana Kumra: A lot of times, my male counterparts get paid much more than me

Actor Aahana Kumra feels that lack of pay parity has started finding its way into the OTT space as well, and she confesses that there are times when she is paid much lesser than her male counterparts.

“Mujhe lagta hai OTT world mein bhi pay parity ka bahut hi pechida mamla hogaya hai. Because I know that a lot of times my male counterparts are getting paid a lot more than I am,” Kumra says.

And she has started calling out the instances pertaining to pay disparity: “Though it is weird for me, I just go to them (the show makers) and ask, ‘Why is he (a male co-star) getting paid a lot more like, is he a better actor than me?’”

The discrimination also comes as a surprise for Kumra because she has carved a career in the OTT space much before it gained popularity and others joined the bandwagon.

The actor, who has featured in projects such as Inside Edge, It Happened In Hong Kong, Marzi, Betaal, Sandwiched Forever and Call My Agent says, “I am not going to take away my career’s accomplishments like this. Because I think I have had a glorious career on OTT and I have done far more work than most of my male counterparts. I think I was one of the first few people who did anything on the digital platform. But log nahi dete hai pay utna, I feel there is a massive pay disparity.”

The 37-year-old asserts that the void “really needs to be bridged”. That’s why she has started expressing her dismay about it. “I have started saying no, I tell them, ‘If it is not paying me this money, I’m not doing it’. But they are like ‘ok, we will get other people’,” says the actor, with a bit of disappointment in her tone.

However, Kumra doesn’t let it waver her spirit, as she stresses that she will continue to fight for her pay rights, and hopes she is able to set it right in some way.