India, May 29 -- Deepika Padukone's exit from Sandeep Reddy Vanga's Spirit started a conversation about gender pay parity in Indian cinema, among other things. Reports claimed that the actor left after the production refused to pay her Rs.20 crore for the film, as she had asked. The male lead, Prabhas, is charging over Rs.100 crore. There are conflicting opinions on the gender pay gap in cinema, with some calling it a fair reflection of market value while others labelling it sexist. Yet, there have been times in Bollywood when female stars did rule the roost.

In the 90s, Sridevi, often considered one of India's first pan-India stars, became the first female actor to charge Rs.1 crore per film. The actor reportedly charged the amount for ...