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In the current state of Bollywood, Salman Khan’s worth is so much that movies would have to exceed their budgets impossibly just to hire him if he decided to charge the amount. However, he also worked his way up gradually. So much so that even when he was a male lead, he earned less than his co-star.

In the film Maine Pyar Kiya, reports claimed that Bhagyashree was paid a lot more than the actor. Now, she has spoken about why this difference was made and how it wasn’t that big of a deal.

© Rajshri Productions

Speaking with Zoom, Bhagyashree, who just did Raja Shivaji, talked about how back when she and Salman Khan worked together on Maine Pyar Kiya, she was paid significantly more than him. Back then, he was fresh off the success from Biwi Ho to Aisi, but it was only his first hit.

“It depends on a lot of supply and demand. It is a simple business when we talk about money. A woman might put in hard work, but if the producer or director feels that she is replaceable by someone else who is offering a better price, then they will stick to the price that they are willing to pay to that particular actress.”

She added, “At that point in time, the actress would have to make a decision on whether she was willing to let go of the work that’s coming to her, and allow someone else to take it. Unless women in general come together and say this is what we are supposed to get paid, it is not going to happen.”

She continued, “When you are working with a person, it is not just only about pay, but you also need to like working with that person. When you buy a flat, you are ready to pay a little bit extra because it has a swimming pool, etc. Why do you do that? And when you don’t need those things, you are ready to compromise and pay less. So I think it’s a business strategy.”

She admitted that back then, she was a much bigger star than him and so, her remuneration was larger than his because that was only fair. Moreover, it only made sense to settle for an actor who charged less because there was no need for a bigger star at that time. She kept her foot down to get what she deserved.