Kamal Ghorui
When it comes to Hindi cinema or even the south, many industry insiders have now begun to talk about pay disparity. One sees female actors talk about how male actors get paid more than them. That’s also the case for singers wherein there’s discrimination in the pay. Singer Krishna Beura who has sung Chak De! India’s ‘Maula Mere Le Le Meri Jaan’ and Aashiq Banaya Aapne’s ‘Aap Ki Kashish’, has spoken candidly about what he describes as the absence of a fair and defined payment system for playback singers in Bollywood. He alleged that despite delivering chart-topping songs, he was paid just Rs 10,000 for some of his most popular work and in several instances, was not paid at all.Krishna highlighted the issue of minimum remuneration for singers, stating, “There is no fee structure for singers in Bollywood. Singers should have minimum wages. Like if you are calling a singer and making him sit in the studio, at least you should pay him Rs 10,000, they don’t even pay Rs 10,000 to singers.”
Recalling specific examples from his career, he added, “For the song, ‘Aap Ki Kashish’, I was paid Rs 10,000. In that also, Rs 900 was cut as TDS. I was paid Rs 10,000 for Chak De India song ‘Maula Mere Lele Meri Jaan’ by Yash Raj Films. I was paid Rs 0 for ‘Soniyo O Soniyo’ song for film Raaz 2. I was paid Rs 0 for the song ‘Moko Kaha Dhunde Re Bande’ and Rs 0 for ‘Mera Intkam Dekhegi’ song.”Reflecting on his long journey in the industry, Krishna claimed that playback singing has brought him surprisingly little financial security. He said, “In my 23 years career as a singer in the film industry, if I see what I have earned only from playback singing in films, it will be a big thing if I have Rs 1.5 lakh in this time. Private producers pay, the industry doesn’t pay because they think singers will earn from shows and concerts.”The singer also alleged that demanding fair compensation can come at the cost of future opportunities. According to him, composers and major music labels often replace singers who speak up about payment. “You can’t ask for money, because if you do, you won’t get work the next time. Now it doesn’t happen this way, some good people have come in the industry. Try and cut Rs 1,000 of Akshay Kumar. Will you dare to do that?” he remarked.Krishna further claimed that substantial earnings from playback singing are largely limited to top-tier artists. He pointed out that leading singers can command hefty fees, sometimes running into crores. “Only A-listers earn money because composers think that they can sell the song easily to music company if an A-lister singer sings the song,” he said.Elaborating on the disparity, he added, “I can’t talk about their fees because every person charges according to them. Some take Rs 5 lakh, some take Rs 10 lakh, and some charge Rs 50 lakh and even charge Rs 3 crore to sing one song. It is all about demand once you have demand in the industry. You will get what you ask for.”
