'Kyunki...' reboot: This star was 'most underpaid' on OG show
What's the story
Actor Jaya Bhattacharya, who played Payal Parikh in the iconic soap opera Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, recently opened up about her experience on the show. In a conversation with Siddharth Kannan on his YouTube podcast, she revealed that she was "the most underpaid actor." The show, which starred Smriti Irani as Tulsi Virani and ran from 2000 to 2008, is set to return with a reboot soon.
Pay disparity
'Didn't get a raise for a straight 7 years'
Bhattacharya revealed, "I was the most underpaid actor. I never got a raise." "Only once I asked for a raise, and while everyone got a raise of ₹2,000, I got only ₹1,000." "That hit my ego, so I didn't ask for it ever again and hence didn't get a raise for a straight 7 years." She also mentioned that her co-stars went on to have huge salaries in subsequent years.
Show revival
Tulsi back with new perspective in 'Kyunki...' reboot
For comparison, Irani had reportedly started the show on ₹1,200-1,300/day, which was later hiked to ₹1,800. The reboot of Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi is set to premiere on Star Plus and JioHotstar on Tuesday. The new promo features Tulsi discussing the importance of sanskar (moral values) in today's fast-paced world. The caption read: "Badalte waqt mein ek naye nazariye ke saath laut rahi hai Tulsi! Unke iss naye safar mein judne ke liye kya aap hain taiyyar?"