Pay disparity between male, female actors harsh reality: Aditi Rao Hydari

New Delhi: Aditi Rao Hydari says the disparity in remuneration of actors and actresses remains a reality in Hindi film industry despite the success of women-oriented films like `Queen` and `Bobby Jasoos`."I don`t really understand why we are paid less than the male actors because we put equal efforts and recent past has shown that actresses can deliver a hit film. We deserve better pay, equal to what actors get," Aditi said in an interview.

Actresses like Priyanka Chopra, Vidya Balan and Katrina Kaif have been vocal about the issue. "Hats off to these ladies for speaking about it because I think we need to address this. I remember in a film of mine, though both my co-star and I were newcomers, he got far better paid than me. I was shocked and appalled. I actually asked him what different are you doing that you are getting better paid!," the 28-year-old actress said. Aditi, who has been appreciated for her performances in `Delhi 6` and `Rockstar`, said it is a refreshing change that more women-oriented films are being made and accepted by the audience. "Actresses are getting stronger roles but there is a long way to go before we can say things have improved substantially for female actors. The time is good for us in the industry because people are ready to experiment with subjects and write women-oriented scripts," Aditi said.