Actors open up about payment problems

Actors Ramsha Khan and Khushhal Khan have opened up about a pressing issue in the entertainment industry – the pervasive problem of delayed or nonpayment to actors and crew members.

Speaking with BBC Asian Network’s Haroon Rashid during a promotional interview for their high-budget action drama Duniyapur, the duo shed light on the challenges faced by artists and technicians who often wait for prolonged periods to receive compensation.

When asked about the financial dynamics of working on a production of this scale, both Ramsha and Khushhal expressed gratitude for being offered such a great script and being paid on time – which appeared to be an anomaly in showbiz.

Khushhal said: “It’s disrespectful not to pay on time because we’re there on time.”

The pair explained that delayed payments were so normalised in the industry that actors were made to compromise on their self-respect and financial stability.

Rashid, while shedding light on the industry’s tendency to treat payments as an afterthought, said it reduced working in showbiz to a hobby, rather than an actual job. To this, Khushhal chimed in, “We’re giving 110% every single day. The least we expect is to be paid on time.”

For Ramsha, this issue wasn’t merely about money, it was about survival.

 “I have to pay my bills, man,” she remarked. Ramsha shared how she dealt with such issues — by refusing to show up on set if her dues weren’t cleared.

“You either clear my cheque or I’m not coming on set,” she said.

One of the most striking points raised during the discussion was the lack of solidarity among actors when addressing the issue of delayed payments.

“If Khushhal and I even try to take a stand, the three other actors are going to let it go. There’s no unity,” said Ramsha.

Khushhal hoped that a collective effort to demand respect and timely payments would take root in the industry. “There are also people who are looking for people who can come together and do this. So, I feel like, that may happen soon. It’s not the right thing to not show up on set. But when they’re pushing you so much, you should take a stand, you shouldn’t show up.”

The duo urged the industry to adopt more professional practices. “When you’re starting out, you get more respect because you haven’t proven yourself yet. But once you do, then they’re like, ‘Okay, take this script’.”

The discussion began when the host highlighted the aesthetic uniqueness of Duniyapur – a fictional action, revenge and love story set in a visually distinct and realistic world.