We need to fight for our rights, says Swara If you see in Hollywood, women are taking up this whole question of equality. Why can’t Bollywood take its cue from them? SWARA BHASKAR, ACTOR

Actor Swara Bhaskar says that Bollywood can only progress when female actors become a little more assertive

Whether it is nepotism, feminism or sexism, actor Swara Bhaskar

(right) has never held back from expressing her views on sensitive subjects. While most actors in Bollywood are acquainted with the prevalence of pay disparity in the industry, very few actually muster the courage to come out and talk about it. Swara, however, has been quite vocal in this regard.

Rooting for “equal pay for equal work”, Swara says, “I am not saying that if I, being a female actor, work for 10 days, I should expect the pay that an actor gets for 100 days of work. But definitely, if I am working for 100 days, then I am expected to get an equal amount of pay as my male counterpart.”

It’s not just the question of money that Swara feels needs to be addressed. The actor, who has worked in films such as Raanjhanaa (2013) Prem Ratan Dhan Payo (2015) and Anaarkali of Aarah, says that even the roles being offered to female actors need to be at par with men. Although Swara agrees that things are slowly changing, she adds that there will be more progress only when female actors start being a little more assertive.

“One thing is for sure, nobody is going to put that on a plate for you. [Female actors] really have to fight for what we want. If you see in Hollywood, women are taking up this whole question of equality. I think that’s fantastic, so why can’t Bollywood take a cue from them?” says the actor, stating that no movement gains momentum unless people fight for it. “Nobody gave black people civil rights in the ’50s on a platter; they suffered for a very long time. The same thing goes for the dalits too, so it holds true for women in films too,” says Swara.

On the work front, Swara will next be seen in Veerey Di Wedding, which also stars Sonam Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor Khan.