Sudha Kongara speaks out on pay gap; director demands industry fairness, 'Parasakthi' set for January 10 release

Sudha Kongara, the National Award-winning director of the 2022 hit film ‘Soorarai Pottru’, has sparked a debate with her remarks about the inequality in filmmakers’ salaries. Sudha Kongara said she is not being paid according to her success and stature despite directing a cult blockbuster that was praised nationwide. The director’s remarks on the salary discrimination faced by him in the industry have become a point of contention across the industry, with her upcoming film ‘Parasakthi’ scheduled for release on January 10.In a recent interview with Behindwoods, Sudha Kongara openly addressed the pay gap she faces. “If men are paid ₹100 crore for a film, I am paid ₹50 crore for the same film,” she said, emphasizing that she does the same amount of work and takes on similar big-budget films as her male colleagues. She asked why filmmakers like herself should be underpaid when audiences are coming to watch their films. Sudha Kongara also mentioned she has turned down multiple projects as she believes in getting the right amount of payment for her work, adding that even lead actresses in successful films placed against their male co-stars earn half the amount their male counterparts reportedly get for the films they feature in. Having assisted as a director for Mani Ratnam and Balaji, Sudha Kongara Koratala made her directorial debut with ‘Drohi,’ a movie that was a washout but a precursor to things to come, proving herself as a master director. She followed it up with the box-office smash ‘Irudhi Suttru’ and was then one of the strongest contenders. When the movie ‘Soorarai Pottru’ was released, Sudha Kongara became a household name. The movie then received a National Award.Currently, Sudha Kongara is making ‘Parasakthi’ with Sivakarthikeyan which is set in the backdrop of anti-Hindi imposition movement that took place in Tamil Nadu in the 1960s. The film is making so much ‘news’ because of the very sensitive and controversial topic that it chooses to be based on.