Taapsee Pannu reveals she wasn’t paid much for Dunki and Judwaa 2, says male stars control casting decisions 2 : Bollywood News

In a recent interview, actor Taapsee Pannu revealed that her paycheck for big commercial films like Dunki and Judwaa 2 was considerably lower than expected. Contrary to assumptions that these high-profile projects bring in substantial earnings for her, the actor shared that she actually earns more for films where she plays the lead.

Taapsee Pannu reveals she wasn’t paid much for Dunki and Judwaa 2, says male stars control casting decisions

“People Think I Do Films Like Judwaa or Dunki for Money”

Taapsee Pannu opened up in a candid discussion with Indian Express about the pay disparity she faces when working on movies with established male leads. The actor said, “Funnily, people think I do films like Judwaa or Dunki for money, that I get paid a lot. But no, it is the opposite – I get paid more for films that are headlined by me, like Haseen Dillruba and other films don’t really pay me much because they feel they are doing a favour by taking me up in that kind of a film.”

“They feel, ‘There is already a big hero, why do we need anybody else for that?’ I fight these notions on a daily basis,” she added.

“The Hero Has a Big Say on Who the Heroine Is Going to Be”

The actor also highlighted big male stars' control over casting decisions in large film productions. Pannu stated, “Now, even the audience knows that heroes decide who the heroine is going to be in most of their films until you have a very big, super successful director, who has his or her own audience. Then the director will take a call no matter what.”

However, she emphasized that in about 75% of cases, it is the hero who exercises the final say on who the female lead will be. According to Pannu, the choices often reflect the hero’s desire for someone “in trend” or who will not overshadow them. She noted, “Some are secure, others think, ‘Let me cast someone who will not overshadow me.’”

Speaking of the professional front, Taapsee was last seen in Khel Khel Mein, which was a theatrical release, co-starring Akshay Kumar, Fardeen Khan and others.

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