New Delhi: Chatter around domestic workers’ pay has shifted from the family WhatsApp groups and apartment society discussions into a full-blown social media debate, thanks to actor Kirti Kulhari.
A video of the ‘Four More Shots Please!’ actor speaking about the salary expectations of domestic workers has gone viral online. Many people say the amount mentioned by the domestic worker was completely reasonable and perhaps even lower than what many workers charge in Mumbai today.
“I was discussing this with my manager, too. I’ve recently shifted to a new house on Yaari Road, and the rates quoted by the cook and maid left me shocked. I was like, ‘How do these rates even make sense,’” Kulhari said, speaking to Uncut India on 27 May.
The actor revealed that she was paying Rs 10,000.
“For two hours of work, which includes sweeping, mopping and washing utensils. I wanted all possible household chores within that time to be covered, like dusting, laundry and other work too. She was charging Rs 10,000,” she said.
The clip quickly spread across social media platforms, with users debating whether the actor’s reaction reflected the widening gap between urban living costs and expectations around domestic labour.
Many Instagram users pointed out that domestic workers in metropolitan cities now commonly charge similar amounts due to increasing expenses, long commutes and rising workloads. Several others also argued that the conversation highlighted how undervalued household labour remains, despite being physically demanding work.
Actor and television host Mini Mathur also weighed in on the controversy and supported the domestic worker’s demand.
“Think of how much her two hours enable us to earn in two hours. This is below minimum wage anywhere else in the world,” Mathur said.
Comedian Vivek Samtani also reacted to the debate: “That is barely $2 per hour, and that is too much? Wow.”
The discussion has since evolved into a larger conversation online about fair wages, class privilege, and the economics of domestic work in urban India, with many users saying the viral clip exposed how normalised underpaying household staff still is.
(Edited by Insha Jalil Waziri)
Government should make an minimum wages act so that non party suffers. Some workers are underpaid is true but as domestic workers have don’t turn up for 7to 8days a month for personal issue then office going women who took are workers have to do chores and still have to give full payment to workers also other reason being they take work of too many households and run within one hour to other house it is ok to look at them with sympathy as they are from a lower socio-economic stratabut office goers are also sailing in a similar boat there. Should be at least government guidelines so it is binding for all