Mushtaq Khan On Bollywood's Wage Gap: My Payment Might Have Been Lesser Than Akshay Kumar’s Staff In 'Welcome'

Actor Mushtaq Khan, best known for his role as a handicapped ex-hockey player in ‘Welcome’, has opened up about the pay disparity in Bollywood. In a latest interview, he revealed that he was paid less than Akshay Kumar’s staff during ‘Welcome.’ However, he also revealed that some filmmakers are changing this imbalance.

Speaking on the Digital Commentary Podcast, Mushtaq Khan spilled some beans about ‘Welcome.’ He revealed that he had to travel on his own. He was staying in the same hotel as Akshay Kumar’s staff. He mentioned that more money was spent on the ‘stars.’ He said, “My payment might have been lesser than Akshay Kumar’s staff in the film. Unfortunately, our films spend a lot of money on ‘stars’. We go everywhere on our own, we travel in economy and stay in the hotels provided by the makers. In Dubai, the hotel I was allotted, was the same hotel in which Akshay’s staff was staying. This happens a lot in big films.”

While he revealed this disparity, he also revealed how a lot of new-age filmmakers are making the sets an inclusive space. He revealed that some filmmakers are actively trying to end this disparity. He talked about his experience on the sets of ‘Stree 2’ and ‘The Railway Men.’ He said, “But a lot of filmmakers want to end this disparity. I am doing a film titled Stree 2 and I get a lot of love and they take care of everyone. We have a lot of fun together. I recently did Railway Men and I had a lot of fun. The production guys gave a lot of respect. The new generation of production people and even actors are doing very well.”

'Welcome' starred Akshay Kumar, Katrina Kaif, Nana Patekar, Anil Kapoor, Mallika Sherawat, and Feroz Khan.