Actor Tillotama Shome left her fans shocked yesterday, when she revealed an unpleasant experience in the industry. The 45-year-old, who is known for her acting prowess, recalled how a director’s remark had reduced her to tears.

“I once worked with a director who paid me very less. At the wrap party [of the project], we were all talking when someone asked me, ‘What is it that you are really lusting for?’ I mentioned a particular car and said, ‘If I do a film where I’m paid this much, I could buy that car’,” she said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter India.

The actor added, “The director then said, ‘I’m so sorry to break this to you, but you’re never going to earn that kind of money. It’s unfair, but that’s how this industry is. You’re very talented, but unfortunately, you’ll never make that much’. He said it in a tone that felt like he meant well, but it stayed with me.”

The remark left such an impact on Tillotama that for her next project, she negotiated for four months. “I fought hard for the money”, she said, adding that eventually, she got paid double the amount she had quoted in the party where the director had passed the hurtful comment.

The actor said she also made sure to let the director know that she had proved him wrong. She told him, “I thought you should know before you tell another actor what they can or can’t do.”