Raveena Tandon reveals that their male counterparts were paid more in the '90s, says 'What a hero earned in one film, I did after 15-16 films'

Raveena Tandon and Akshay Kumar in a still from 'Mohra' (1994).

Bollywood actress Raveena Tandon, who worked in the '90s and is now back on the screen with OTT series and movies, recently said in an interview that male actors would get paid more back then.

The actress, who is to date remembered as the 'Mast Mast' girl after her hit song 'Tu cheez badi hai mast mast' from 'Mohra', said while talking to JIST News that pay discrimination has always been prevalent in the industry. She told the site: "The money wasn't great for actresses in those days. In those days, the money was very, very low, especially the pay disparity between actors and actresses. Male stars got much more. What they would make in one film, I would make in, say, 15 films. For women actors personally, I can't speak for everybody; I can't generalise this. I had to do nearly 15–20 films to make as much money as my male counterparts".

Raveena further said that since male actors were paid more, they were selective with their roles and worked in fewer movies in that era.

(From left) Salman Khan, Aamir Khan, Raveena Tandon and Karisma Kapoor in a still from Andaz Apna Apna (1994).

"In those days, Aamir and Salman were doing selective films, while heroines would be working with many more heroes. But for everybody overall, the money was much less than in today's situation," she added.

But the actress, who was seen in OTT releases 'Karmma Calling', 'Patna Shukla', and 'Aranyak', says now the industry has 'changed for the better'. She added that with a lot of women working in the entertainment industry, they are "more aware of pay parity".

Raveena said that with the entry of corporations into film production, salaries have improved in the industry.

Raveena was earlier seen in Yash's 'KGF Part 2', which was a massive hit in 2022.

She was recently seen playing the role of lawyer in 'Patna Shukla', where she had worked with the late Satish Kaushik and Manav Vij.

Raveena will also be seen in 'Welcome 3' with Akshay Kumar, Sanjay Dutt, Arshad Warsi, Disha Patani, Lara Dutta, Paresh Rawal, and others.