After making her debut as a juvenile artist, charging more than the hero, marrying a Muslim, and making a move that destroyed her career, this heroine is now
The issue of pay inequality has been prevalent in India’s film industry. Although it was more common in the past, the industry has changed as well. Several actresses have discussed the salary discrepancy in recent years, including Kareena Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, Bhumi Pednekar, Shefali Shah, Lara Dutta, and others.
In the past, heroes received higher compensation than heroines regardless of their experience or screen time. One actress, though, not only rose through the ranks of fame but was also said to charge more than the heroes. This actress started off as a young performer. Her name is Matondkar Urmila.
Child Artist to Top Actress
At the age of nine, Urmila Matondkar made her cinematic debut in 1977’s “Karm,” directed by B.R. Chopra. She also worked on other movies, including well-known ones like Shekhar Kapur’s drama Masoom (1983) and Shyam Benegal’s crime Kalyug (1980).
Her debut as the principal actress, however, was in Malayalam rather than Hindi. It was opposite Kamal Haasan in the 1989 Malayalam movie Chanakyan, directed by T. K. Rajeev Kumar. She made her Bollywood debut alongside Sunny Deol and Dimple Kapadhia in N. Chandra’s 1991 action drama Narsimha.
Her role in Ram Gopal Varma’s “Rangeela” was what catapulted her into stardom overnight. She soon contributed to a number of successful movies and advanced her profession. She reportedly started charging higher costs than her male colleagues.
But there came a time when she began to lose her way. Her relationship with director Ram Gap Varma was the subject of numerous rumors. According to reports, the two also had a falling out, which had an impact on her career.
On March 3, 2016, she wed Mohsin Akhtar Mir, a model and businessman from Kashmir.[14][15] After eight years of marriage, Matondkar filed for divorce from Mir in 2024.
