Kartik Aaryan First Bollywood Actor To Announce He's Willing To Take Pay-cut Amid Covid-19 Crisis

Actor Kartik Aaryan has said that he is ready to accept a pay-cut to help the film industry deal with losses due to the coronavirus pandemic.

In an interview with Film Companion, Kartik spoke at length about the hit that the film industry has taken due to the ongoing nationwide lockdown, and how the industry can resume work.

When FC's Anupama Chopra asked the actor if he was planning to cut down on his team, he replied, “I wouldn’t want to cut down on people’s jobs. There has to be a solution wherein that problem also doesn’t crop up and producers (who are getting hit), they too are saved. There has to be solution and a balance will come out. Whatever it takes for the industry to get together and start working, I think, I am up for it. I would do whatever collectively we decide to do.”

The film industry is abuzz with reports of shooting budgets getting slashed and actors taking pay cuts due to the coronavirus pandemic.

When asked about the same, Kartik told Film Companion, “Whatever it takes, for the industry and for all of us to get together again to start working, I am up for it. I would do whatever collectively they decide to."

Kartik is the first actor to publicly announce that he will take a pay-cut to help the film industry beat the loses.

Moreover, during a Twitter Q&A session with Filmfare, Taapsee Pannu was asked if actors were taking pay cuts like most other industries.

To which, the actress said that it hadn't happened so far but she was expecting that it would.

“Abhi toh kyuki koi shooting nahi ho rahi toh koi salary nahi mil rahi. Aur taiyaar hu aage humari salary mein bhi katauti hogi (Because we are not shooting anything these days so we aren’t getting any salaries either. And I'm ready that our salaries will also get slashed,” she said.

Meanwhile, on the work front, Kartik Aaryan was last seen in Imtiaz Ali's directorial Love Aaj Kal opposite Sara Ali Khan. Before the lockdown, he was shooting Bhool Bhulaiya 2 with Kiara Advani and Tabu. The actor also has Karan Johar's Dostana 2 in the pipeline with Janhvi Kapoor and newcomer Lakshaya.