Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Sharon Stone on gender pay gap being a global phenomenon

Samantha Ruth Prabhu recently opened up about the gender pay gap. She will be seen as the eponymous lead, Shakuntala Devi, in the upcoming mythological drama Shaakuntalam_._ She mentioned how gender pay gap is a yawning maw. In a recent interview with Pinkvilla, Samantha shared how she may not be fighting directly, but that she is fighting hard, saying, “It’s not like I am fighting to be paid equally, I want it to be a by-product of the hard work and success. People should just come and say, ‘Yes, we want to pay you this much’. I shouldn’t have to beg for it. I believe that comes with an incredible amount of hard work.” Samantha added how in her bio she has written, “Whatever your capabilities, you must stretch them to the limit and a little beyond’, but that as a woman in the film world, “it’s not just enough to stretch your capabilities to your limits but then you need that a little more. There’s stress on a ‘little more’ because it’s just that much harder.” In a recent conversation with Sharon Stone at the Red Sea International Film Festival, Stone confirmed how gender pay gap is a global phenomenon. Sharon Stone said, “The difference between her Basic Instinct salary and that of co-star Michael Douglas meant she was not able to feel secure after the film made her famous. “I made $500,000, and Michael Douglas made $14m.” And why just entertainment industry, it is across all industries, women are paid lesser than men. In conversation with the Basic Instinct actor Sharon Stone where she said she “would like to have directed” after her breakthrough role in Paul Verhoeven’s erotic thriller Basic Instinct in 1992, but wasn’t allowed to do so due to her gender. At the  Red Sea International Film Festival,   Sharon Stone  said, “I went to the studio and asked them for a small budget,” said Stone. “And I was laughed out of the room; I was told ‘women don’t direct’.” Stone mentioned the difference between her Basic Instinct salary and that of co-star Michael Douglas meant she was not able to feel secure after the film made her famous. “I made $500,000, and Michael Douglas made $14m,” said Stone. “Michael could afford the car, driver, bodyguard. I had to move because people were on my roof and breaking my door down. I couldn’t afford the things I needed because of the sudden fame I had.” Bollywood film director and writer Tanuja Chandra once mentioned that even now, female-led films are sold at a lower price to distributors because of the prevalent belief in the trade that they cannot earn huge money. I understand that not many such films may have been blockbusters yet, but then, not many have been made, and it cannot be presumed that this is always going to be the case. Because of this, the budgets of female protagonist films are usually low too which impacts the making and quality of the film, further resulting in low enthusiasm to make such films. Remember Patricia Arquette’s speech at the Oscars ceremony some seven years back after she won the Oscars for the best actress in a supporting role? In her speech after paying tribute to family members, cast members and boyfriend, she concluded by saying, “To every woman who gave birth, to every taxpayer and citizen of this nation, we have fought for everybody else’s equal rights. It is time to have wage equality once and for all. And equal rights for women of the United States of America.” Her speech received a standing ovation and cheers from the audience. It was appreciated by Meryl Streep and Jennifer Lopez, who got up from their seats to wave their arms and cheer for her. Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.