Deepika on Forbes' list of world's highest-paid actresses
Padukone, 30, is the only Indian actress and the sole newcomer in Forbes' 2016 list of the 'World's Highest-Paid Actresses', coming in at the 10th spot.
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Forbes said Padukone has "scored box office gold" in Bollywood movies such as Bajirao Mastani and Piku.
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While she earns less than her Hollywood counterparts for roles, Padukone "compensates with over a dozen lucrative endorsements", which "have helped her hedge against a deep pay gap in Bollywood".
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The list shows her with earnings of USD 10 million.
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Forbes said the Bangalore-bred Padukone, who made her Bollywood film debut in 2007 with Shahrukh Khan-starrer "Om Shanti Om", has "since starred in several films that have crossed the USD 150 million or 100 crore mark a barometer for box office success in India".
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Padukone "has also become something of a style icon" launching her label for an Indian online shopping site.
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Making her Hollywood debut along "Fast and Furious" star Vin Diesel, she will be seen in 2017 in xXx: Return of Xander Cage.
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Noting the gender pay gap in the Indian movie industry, "a discrepancy not uncommon in Hollywood" also, Forbes said though a top Indian male star might earn close to USD 5 million a movie, prominent Indian actresses rarely clear USD 1 million a film.
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For the second year in a row, Oscar-winning "Hunger Games" actress Lawrence topped the list of the world's highest-paid actresses, notching USD 46 million.
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"Ghostbusters" starrer Melissa McCarthy is ranked second with earnings of USD 33 million.
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The list includes The Horse Whisperer-starrer Scarlett Johansson on the third spot, Anniston on the 4th place followed by Chinese actress Fan Bingbing (5), Oscar-nominee Amy Adams (7) and "Pretty Woman"-starrer Roberts (8).
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Forbes added that in an industry where a pay gap with male actors still exists, 90 per cent of the world's highest- paid actresses supplements their on-screen earnings with endorsements.
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Together, the world's ten highest-paid actresses tallied a combined USD 205 million between June 2015 and 2016, before fees and taxes.
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"Though these select actresses earn more than most could dream of, their movie money is but a fraction of what many of their male counterparts pocket. While top actresses can negotiate eight-figure upfront fees plus a cut of profits for leading parts in big budget movies, there are simply fewer of those roles available for women," Forbes said.
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It also noted that for women, the movie business is "notoriously ageist" but with "box office clout", some of the highest-paid actresses have manoeuvred themselves into positions of economic power.
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