Pay disparity not gender-based: Richa

There are many in the film industry who complain that when it comes to pay cheques, the industry is unfair to female actors, who get a lot lesser than their male counterparts. But not actor Richa

Chadha (above), who has a different view on the matter, and says that the pay isn’t gender-based, but in fact, is based on the stature of the star. “To be honest, I think actors in Bollywood get the money as per their influence at the box office. And that’s fair,” says the Fukrey actor.

She explains, saying, “If I can pull in people worth a

` 100-crore collection, then maybe I deserve to be paid that much. People must remember that if they have the power to sell tickets, they are paid in tune.”

However, she does feel that if both male and female actors have the same influence, they should be paid at par. “But, if you are a female actor and equally popular, then there should be no disparity,” says the actor, who was in the Capital to walk for designer Renyu Taandon at the couture week.

While gifted with a great sense of style, Richa’s on-screen characters are mostly not too glamorous. “With the kind of films I do, they don’t have the budget for designer clothes. And mostly, my (characters) are very relatable and real-life like. Also, the script determines the costumes. At least that is how I like to work,” she says.

I think actors get the money in accordance to their influence at the box office. And that’s fair

Richa Chadha, actor