Madhur Bhandarkar reveals Priyanka Chopra and Kareena Kapoor 'cut their fees' for his films; says 'Male actors should...'

Madhur Bhandarkar has mostly helmed women-centric movies in his career. Some of the films directed by Madhur are Fashion, Heroine, Chandni Bar, and more. At an event held in Mumbai, the filmmaker shared his thoughts about female-centric films, pay and gender disparity in Bollywood, and more. During a conversation with SCREEN, Madhur revealed how Tabu-starrer Chandni Bar turned out to be a game-changer for him. Bhandarkar also recalled that Priyanka Chopra and Kareena Kapoor slashed their fees for his films.

Madhur Bhandarkar on female-led movies

Madhur Bhandarkar went down memory lane and said people would feel only he could make a film on a certain budget and they couldn't. The filmmaker mentioned that people were reluctant. 

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"I remember Kareena Kapoor, Tabu, Priyanka Chopra cutting their fees to do my films. Higher fees would add to budget constraints. It has been difficult. Even male actors should consider reducing their fees for a woman-centric film," said Madhur.

The director advised other filmmakers to pursue women-centric cinema. Madhur said that people will keep giving free advice, but one should do what they feel like. The filmmaker revealed his film Chandni Bar was 'trashed' by critics and they termed it depressing. 

"During Fashion, people said it was better to watch a fashion show than this film. These things shouldn’t bog us down. Today, Laapataa Ladies is being talked about globally because its content was strong," he added. Bhandarkar mentioned that his movie Chandni Bar had to compete with films like Gadar, Lagaan, and more. However, it still got nominated at all award shows.

When Madhur faced trouble casting male actors

In the same conversation, Madhur opened up about the reason he faced difficulties while casting male actors for his movies. The filmmaker revealed that male actors didn't wish to do his films because the focus was on women. 

On the work front, Madhur's last Hindi directorial project was Babli Bouncer.

Also read: Is Fashion 2 on the cards? Priyanka Chopra's latest pic with Madhur Bhandarkar sparks speculations among fans