Gender discrimination is deeply ingrained in Bollywood, and the biggest example of this is the difference in pay between heroes and heroines. This issue is discussed from time to time. Recently, famous actress Shafali Shah has broken her silence on this issue and said that it is not right at all. According to her, salary should always be determined on the basis of merit and not on the basis of gender.

Shafali Shah spoke on the pay disparity in Bollywood and said that women-centric films are now becoming very hot, yet the pay gap remains. She raised the question and said, "This is not right." Shafali also asked why lead actors should not get paid only on the basis of merit, leaving gender aside? She said that producers rarely offer higher salaries. Shafali hopes that the actors get what they really deserve.

In an interview, Shafali Shah shared her views on the ongoing debate on unequal pay between male and female actors. She said there is a need for fairness in this matter. "The film industry has changed. Now female-led films are also becoming quite successful. However, despite this progress, the pay gap between male and female actors persists," Shafali said. Shafali further added, "I can understand that earlier films with big stars sold more, but it is not so now. Nowadays many films are female-led and they are big hits. Do they get as much money as the hero gets? I don't know."

Shafali said that pay should be based only on merit. Suggesting a merit-based system, she said, "What if we don't include gender in it and look at it this way - you get what you deserve." However, she also pointed out that in this situation, deciding what an artist should get is a challenging question. Shafali said, "If you are casting a lead role, you have chosen this actor for this role because you believe he can play it. So don't you think this actor should get a little more than the rest?"