Tejasswi Prakash On Pay Disparity: "I Realised My Worth And Asked for More..."

Social media sensation and actor Tejasswi Prakash, who is currently winning hearts with her culinary skills on 'Celebrity MasterChef', has opened up about pay parity in the industry. Before making her mark on the reality show, she steadily built her career through popular daily soaps and reality shows like 'Swaragini – Jodein Rishton Ke Sur', 'Naagin', 'Bigg Boss 15' and 'Khatron Ke Khiladi 10'.

"I Was Treated Very Differently..."

In a recent interview with Zoom, Tejasswi opened up about the challenges she faced in her early days in the industry, revealing that she experienced differential treatment on sets. Reflecting on her past struggles, she shared, "When I worked with senior actors who were more established than I was, I was treated very differently. They were given better rooms, vanity vans, and even superior food. At the beginning of my career, I faced such issues."

"I Realized I Wasn't Being Paid Fairly..."

However, she eventually recognized her worth and refused to accept unjust treatment. "I realized I wasn't being paid fairly, so I started asking for more. I understood that audiences wanted to see more of me, so why should I settle for less?" she stated, emphasizing the importance of knowing one's value in the industry.

Photo Credit: Instagram

Moreover, sharing about the struggle to make her mark in the Hindi film industry, Tejasswi stated that it is not easy as the field is very competitive. She mentioned,  "There are so many influencers who have become actors, then there are so many people like me who are trying to do. I don't doubt the makers. I feel there's so many of us right now." She added that along with high competition, the film industry is also not performing well. There have been blockbuster films with big stars that have underperformed at the box office. The actress believes that something needs to change and hopes the films begin to do well because only then more projects will be developed for them to work on.

She rose to fame with her role in Colors TV's 'Swaragini' in 2015 where she co-starred alongside Helly Shah. Tejasswi went on to star in a number of successful series, including 'Pehredar piya ki', 'Rishta likhenge hum naya', 'Karn Sangini', and others.