'Welcome' actor Mushtaq Khan who played the role of Balu in the film spoke about pay disparity in Bollywood. He recalled being paid less than Akshay Kumar's staff and travelling economy
Mushtaq Khan and Akshay Kumar in the film Welcome
The pay parity conversation has been long going on in the film industry. While the conversation has largely centered around gender pay parity, character actors have also been facing pay disparity. Veteran actor 'Mushtaq Khan' recently opened up about the topic. The actor who played an important and memorable character in Anees Bazmee's 'Welcome' sad that he was paid less than lead actor Akshay Kumar's staff. However, the actor said that times have changed and efforts are being made to end the vast disparity between actors.
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On the Digital Commentary podcast, 'Welcome' actor Mushtaq Khan was asked about his thoughts on receiving significantly lower pay than Akshay Kumar in the film. The actor played the role of Balu who was part of Uday Shetty's gang. His dialogue about the backstory of him losing his leg had gone viral.
The actor said, “My payment might have been lesser than Akshay Kumar’s staff in the film. Unfortunately, our films spend a lot of money on ‘stars’. We go everywhere on our own, we travel in economy and stay in the hotels provided by the makers. In Dubai, the hotel I was allotted, was the same hotel in which Akshay’s staff was staying. This happens a lot in big films.”
“But a lot of filmmakers want to end this disparity. I am doing a film titled 'Stree 2' and I get a lot of love and they take care of everyone. We have a lot of fun together. I recently did Railway Men and I had a lot of fun. The production guys gave a lot of respect. The new generation of production people and even actors are doing very well," Welcome actor Mushtaq Khan.
'Welcome' was released in 2007. Directed by Anees Bazmee, the film starred Akshay Kumar, Katrina Kaif, Paresh Rawal, Anil Kapoor, Feroz Khan, and Nana Patekar in pivotal roles. The film was declared a blockbuster and is considered among the funniest Bollywood films. 'Welcome' was followed by a sequel 'Welcome Back', which starred John Abraham and Shruti Hassan in the lead roles.
Meanwhile, 'Welcome 3' has gone on floors and is being directed by Ahmed Khan. The star cast of the film also includes Disha Patani, Suniel Shetty, Paresh Rawal, Raveena Tandon, Jacqueline Fernandez, Sanjay Dutt, Rajpal Yadav, Shreyas Talpade, Kiku Sharda, Daler Mehndi, Mika Singh, Rahul Dev, Mukesh Tiwari, Sharib Hashmi, Inaamulhaq, Zakir Hussain, and Yashpal Sharma.
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