For the first time in her 22-year career, Priyanka Chopra Jonas received equal pay to her male co-star for her role in the upcoming US spy series Citadel.
She has appeared in over sixty Bollywood films and is a very successful star in India. She entered Hollywood around a decade ago and is now one of the few Indian performers to make an impact in the US entertainment business.
“I’ve never experienced equal pay in Bollywood. I would receive approximately 10% of the remuneration of my male co-actor, Chopra Jonas stated.
“It [the wage difference] is a considerable disparity. And many women continue to face this issue. She said, “I’m sure I would too if I worked with a male co-actor in Bollywood.”
“My generation of actresses have demanded equal pay.” We’ve asked, but we’ve not got it.”
“I believed it was perfectly OK to sit for hours and hours on set, while my male co-actor arrived whenever he pleased and dictated when we would film,” she added.
When she first began her career in Bollywood, she recalls being subjected to color-based body shaming.
“I was called “black cat” and “dark.” I mean, what does “dusky” even mean in a nation where everyone is brown?
“I assumed I was not attractive enough and that I would have to work much more, despite my belief that I was probably more talented than my lighter-skinned co-actors. “However, I believed that was appropriate because it was so commonplace,” she remarked.
“Of course, that stems from our colonial background; it hasn’t even been a century since we lost the British Raj, so I believe we still cling to it. However, it is up to our generation to break these bonds and effect change so that the following generation does not inherit the value placed on light skin.”
Chopra Jonas responded, “Well, this is the first time it’s happened to me, and it’s happened in Hollywood. Therefore, I do not know what to do next. Because this was my first program with a male co-lead,” she said, referring to her future appearance in the spy action series Citadel.
Even though she was well-known and adored by millions in South Asia, the actress struggled for a decade to establish herself abroad.
“I would attend meetings alone, introduce myself, and bring my demo reel. I collaborated with acting and dialect coaches. I participated in auditions, was rejected, sobbed, and then tried again. I put forth the effort required to succeed in any new industry. She stated that it was a humbling experience.
Ms. Chopra Jonas was the first South Asian to lead an American network television series in 2015 when she starred in the suspense series Quantico. She is also the first Indian woman to appear on the covers of multiple renowned fashion magazines.
Despite a growing awareness of the need to be more inclusive and varied, she claims it is still difficult for persons of her heritage to find mainstream work in Hollywood.
“Perhaps I’ve established a certain level of credibility, and thus I’m engaged in exciting work. We will determine if this is approved or not. In Hollywood, it’s quite difficult to be South Asian and Indian. “There is still much work to be done,” she remarked.
As a global superstar who frequently comments on global affairs, Ms. Chopra Jonas has received criticism in India for her silence on home matters. Her publicist prevented her from responding to a question on this critique.
In response to a query concerning favorable and bad attention on social media, she stated, “There will always be those who say, ‘You didn’t say anything about anything,’ and ‘You should have said something about something.’ Furthermore, it is impossible to please everyone.”
Ms. Chopra Jonas told northern India, where, in her role as Global Goodwill Ambassador for Unicef, she visited health centers and schools and met young female students.
She has been affiliated with Unicef for fifteen years and, in addition to India, has visited Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Jordan, and Bangladesh to see children afflicted by war and natural catastrophes.
“When you’re a public figure, people want to know where you are and where you’re going. “That’s where I feel I find my purpose, if I can use the platform I have to talk about the projects and difficulties children face and how they’ve conquered them… perhaps the people who consume me will also consume their message,” she added.
“Therefore, I enhance the voices of individuals, particularly children, whose voices do not travel. This is the greatest job I have ever held.”
