The Family Man Maker DK Says Alia, Deepika, Kangana ‘Should Be Paid Well’: ‘They’re Superstars’ | Exclusive

With Deepika Padukone exiting Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Spirit, the conversation surrounding pay parity has once again gained momentum. Multiple voices from the film industry came forth to share their stance

on fixed work hours on a film set and the pay gap that exists between a male and a female star. Amid this, Citadel: Honey Bunny and Farzi maker DK, of Raj-DK director, duo now tells us that women stars do deserve big remunerations, considering the power they’ve to pull crowds into theatres.

Speaking exclusively to News18 Showsha, he says, “There have been so-called women superstars who’ve been the leads in films and those films have made a lot of money. I don’t know the specific details but I would think that those leading ladies should be paid very well. They can bring in that kind of box office numbers. If it’s pure capitalism, it definitely makes sense. If there are two actors – A and B – and they’ve different kinds of market pull, they should be paid accordingly.”

Batting for stars like Deepika Padukone and Alia Bhatt, DK asserts that they too deserve a larger share of the pie much like their male counterparts. “I, obviously, think that there should be no gender bias there. Largely, it [remunerations] should be dependent on an actor’s market pull. That’s how the business should work. Kangana (Ranaut) has headlined so many different films that became blockbusters. The same can be said for Deepika and Alia. It means they’re superstars,” he remarks.

On a related note, Raj-DK are known for their complex and strong portrayal of women in their films and shows. Talking about it, DK states, “It’s by design, of course. We always wanted to have strong female characters in our movies. Sometimes, the milieu and situation of a story may not allow it to happen. But when it does allow and you’ve the opportunity to create a nice, well-rounded, identifiable female character or a female character who kicks a**, there’s nothing more pleasurable than that.”

Citing the examples from their previous works, he says, “We wrote Stree. It talked about the role reversal of a man and a woman. Back in the day, we made Shor In The City. Even though the world of the film was a man’s world, the female characters in it were very strong, especially that of Radhika Apte’s. Her role had a very strong impact. This is something that we’ve always been wanting to do. Sometimes, we do it well and sometimes, we don’t.”

As he gears up for the release of The Family Man 3, DK also sheds light on the women in Srikant Tiwari’s world – Priyamani as Suchi, Samantha Ruth Prabhu as Raji and Nimrat Kaur as Meera – all of who’re complex, grey and have a mind of their own. “When the opportunity came with The Family Man, we first created the wife as a strong pillar of support and a counterbalance to Srikant’s work life. In season two, a woman became the antagonist, which took things to the next level,” DK adds.