Anusha Dandekar Reveals Her Male Co-Host Left The Sets When She Asked For Equal Air Time; Says ‘He Was…’

Anusha Dandekar, who began her career in showbiz as a VJ on MTV, has recently revealed the significant pay gap between men and women in the field of anchoring. According to Anusha, her male co-hosts would receive double the salary and enjoy more airtime compared to their female counterparts. Anusha Dandekar hosted many shows including House of Style, Love School, Dance Crew, Teen Diva for MTV. She was also one of the judges on India’s Next Top Model.

Anusha, during an interaction with Hauterrfly, said, “My co-host doing the same job, the same hours, the same amount of styling changes, everything, was getting paid double than me.” She added, “It was like we’re doing the same job and then when you’d see the footage, you keep more of his role in it than mine.” Anusha said recalling that when she asked for equal air time with her male co-host, he got angry and walked off set. “When I put my foot down and said ‘hey, listen if I am the co-host, then keep us equal in the camera,’ he stormed off. And I was like, ‘I just got fair air time, I didn’t storm off in the first three seasons,’” she said.

During the same interview, Anusha, who was born and raised in Australia, opened up about a personal experience with racism in her home country. While working as a video jockey for MTV, she went shopping with her girlfriend and was filled with excitement about being back in Australia. During a shopping trip, the shopkeeper showed preferential treatment towards Anusha’s white friend, repeatedly ignoring Anusha. When she requested to see a pair of sunglasses, the owner asked about her nationality and took a dig at her suggesting that she couldn’t afford the expensive product.