Mushtaq Khan Was Paid Less Than Akshay Kumar's Staff In Welcome, Says They Spend Money On Stars

"Meri Ek taang nakli hai, Main hockey ka bohoth bada khiladi tha. Ek din Uday bhai ko meri kisi baat pe gussa aagaya aur mere he hockey se meri taang ke do tukde kar diye. Lekin dil ke bohot ache hai, Fauran mujhe hospital le gaye aur ye nakli taang lagwayi"

This is one of the iconic scenes from Welcome and most of the fans of the film know this dialogue by heart.

Mushtaq Khan on being paid less than Akshay Kumar's staff

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While we recognise the actor by his face, most of us might not know his name. Mushtaq Khan who is best known for movies like Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke, and Jodi No.1 among others, has worked in the industry for over three decades, and it's sad to know that he was paid less than Akshay Kumar's staff in 2007 movie Welcome.

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He revealed the same while talking about pay-parity to Digital Commentary podcast. He said, "My payment might have been lesser than Akshay Kumar¡¯s staff in the film."

Mushtaq Khan on pay-parity in bollywood

Furthermore, he added, "Unfortunately our films spend a lot of money on 'stars'. We go everywhere on our own, we travel in economy and stay in the hotels provided by the makers. In Dubai, the hotel I was allotted, was the same hotel in which Akshay's staff was staying. This happens a lot in big films."

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His experience on the sets of Stree 2 and The Railway Men

Mushtaq Khan, who played the role of Ballu in Welcome, added that things are gradually changing. The current batch of producers treat everyone equally. "I am doing a film titled Stree 2 and I get a lot of love and they take care of everyone. We have a lot of fun together. I recently did Railway Men and I had a lot of fun. The production guys gave a lot of respect."

Directed by Anees Bazmee, Welcome also starred Katrina Kaif, Nana Patekar, Anil Kapoor, Mallika Sherawat and Paresh Rawal among others. The movie was a commercial hit and went on to become the second-highest-grossing Hindi film of the year. Eight years later, a sequel was released titled Welcome Back in which Akshay was replaced. This time, John Abraham, Shruti Haasan and Shiney Ahuja played pivotal roles apart from the rest of the cast returning in their roles. Now, Welcome 3 is in the works.

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