In April last year, Samantha Ruth Prabhu announced a project titled Maa Inti Bangaram under her Tarala Media Entertainments. The young banner is pioneering pay parity, which is the "practice of paying people equally for the same work, regardless of their gender, race, ethnicity, or other characteristics. It's a way to promote fairness and equity in the workplace."
While the pay parity principle has been favoured by Feminists and Socialists, it is impractical to be followed for a sustained period of time in any profit-driven industry. The film industry is highly profit-centric, which is why one lead actor can take home Rs 50 Cr and another lead actor can earn as little as Rs 2 Cr in the same film. This is not unethical, unless some talents gain at the expense of the rest because of their gender or background. Your remuneration depends on your crowd-pulling abilities.
Samantha's pay parity practice might work for a film like Maa Inti Bangaram where the casting choices are not drastic. Issues and conflicts emerge when you rope in stars who lead the show. These stars are paid for participating even in promotions. Such is their might and stamina in the film industry.
