Satisfied with the bose revealed he earned significantly less than Kareena Kapoor for the 2003 film Chameli, acknowledging her star power and ability to attract audiences. Speaking at the ‘Mardon wali baat‘ conference, Bose humorously referred to himself as a “starlet.” He praised Kapoor’s talent and dedication during the challenging night shoots of the film, as per PTI.
The actor noted, “Men have also been starlets, and I am a shining example of that… I was the starlet in ‘Chameli’, Kareena was the star; she gets more people into the theatre even today than I would. Simple as that. I was paid a fraction of what Kareena was paid. It’s completely logical… The people who actually govern who will come in, you better take the ratio. It has happened. It has happened to me throughout my career. I am never the guy who brings people into the theatre.”
Bose believes the film industry is fair in terms of pay, stating, “I have produced two films. I would not pay me more than what I got. So I don’t buy this (gender pay disparity); the film industry is super equitable in that way. You get the money, you get paid, you don’t get the money, you get paid less…”
Discussing masculinity and violence against women in Indian cinema, Bose remarked that cinema often becomes the “whipping boy” due to its visibility. He explained that films simply reflect societal realities, whether positive or negative, and likened cinema to a “faithful younger sibling” of society, mirroring its values and flaws.
“As soon as the elder brother does something, we latch on to a trend. That’s it. We don’t create trends, we latch onto the trend.. We are looking to see where is the ‘hawa’, what is catching, and then we pick it up, sometimes you do it well, sometimes you don’t,” he explained.
The actor emphasized that societal influences shape cinema’s portrayal of violence against women. He noted that since the 1950s, these depictions have been inconsistent, saying, “I think the depiction has been rocky, patchy, up and down.”
“You have to be part architect, part interior designer, part psychologist, part painter, part musician, part lyricist, part actor. It’s asking you to do everything at that moment in five minutes,” he noted.
He further added, “Ray was so great because he was a polymath, he could do 19 things. He did the camera work, he composed the music, he was working with Ravi Shankarhe is doing calligraphy. Ray Roman is a font, I mean, the guy was a dude, it’s just amazing”.
