Actor Amyra Dastur, who is about to complete a decade in show business, doesn’t have any apprehensions about asking for the remuneration that she truly deserves. Talking about how one has to stand by their decision after reaching a certain stage in their career, she tells us, “My team and I decide on a certain amount. If we feel that we aren’t getting our worth, we leave the project and move on.”

However, she adds that she is ready to take a pay cut if a good script is mounted on a smaller budget. “If a film isn’t a high-budget production, it’s no one’s fault,” notes the actor, adding, “I may do that for a good film that can be an important addition to my body of work.”

The 28-year-old feels that an actor should be paid “according to what they can bring to the table”, irrespective of their gender. And she is glad that female actors are no longer shy about demanding a seat at the table. “There was a time when we were called difficult for demanding what we thought we deserved, but that’s waning now,” explains the Prassthanam (2019) actor.

Happy with the changing landscape in the film industry, Dastur goes on, “With the OTT boom and the rise in female-driven narratives, female actors are being paid their worth. And that’s great, because then you don’t feel undervalued. We aren’t just pretty faces anymore!”