Pay parity has been a topic of discussion in the entertainment industry for a long time now. While many actresses such as Anushka Sharma, Kangana Ranaut among others have openly spoken about it in public, most have maintained their silence. In June, when there was a hue and cry on social media about actress Kareena Kapoor Khan demanding Rs 12 crore for the role of Sita in a mythological drama film, most industry insiders kept mum (except for a few namely Kriti Sanon, Priyamani, Taapsee Pannu among others) as the ‘Udta Punjab’ actress was trolled and called ‘greedy’ for asking for the hefty price.
Finally, now, Kareena has broken her silence and spoken about equal pay in the industry. Although she did not respond directly to the unconfirmed media reports of her hiking her fee and asking for Rs 12 crore for the mythological drama, she spoke equal pay and getting respect for what she has demanded for the first time in light of the controversy. 
Kareena Kapoor Khan told The Guardian in a recent interview that equal pay for both male and female artists has finally become a part of the discussion and that a lot of actresses were speaking up about the same. “Just a few years ago, no one would talk about a man or woman actually getting equal pay in a movie. Now there are a lot of us being very vocal about it,” Kareena told The Guardian. 
Kareena said that she had made it quite clear what she wanted and that she should be respected for it. Kareena also said that she knew her worth and had no qualms in putting it across during negotiations. “I make it quite clear what I want and I think that respect should be given. It’s not about being demanding, it’s about being respectful towards women. And I think things are kind of changing,” said Kareena.
Earlier, Kareena had avoided the mention of this particular controversy in an interview with NDTV. “What next for Kareena Kapoor Khan? You have a film with Aamir Khan later this year, there was talk that you were getting ₹12 crore, you were asking for ₹12 crore, and other actresses came out in support of you, but I think that was fake news…” said the anchor while interviewing Kareena. The actress responded in a cryptic way and only shook her head saying “Yeah, yeah…”

Meanwhile, on the work front, Kareena will be seen opposite Aamir Khan in ‘Laal Singh Chaddha’, the Hindi remake of Tom Hanks’ ‘Forrest Gump’. She also has Hansal Mehta’s next in which she is playing the titular role as well as co-producing the film.