Rs 10,000 per month for domestic help? Mini Mathur joins Kirti Kulhari in viral debate
Mini Mathur criticized Kirti Kulhari’s resurfaced comment about paying a domestic worker Rs 10,000 for two hours of daily work. The clip has reignited the debate over salaries, cost of living and expectations of domestic workers in Mumbai.
Actress Mini Mathur has criticized fellow actress Kirti Kulhari after an old interview clip of her discussing the salaries of domestic workers surfaced online and sparked a debate on social media.
In a viral clip of an old interview, Kirti talked about shifting to a new house in Mumbai’s Yari Road and being shocked by the amount she was quoted by a domestic help for household work.
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As soon as the clip resurfaced, Mathur and many Instagram users took issue with the comment. While some people said that it is difficult to manage rising household costs in metro cities, others said that the comment seems irrelevant especially in a city like Mumbai.
Mini Mathur commented on a post sharing the old clip and wrote, “Think how much his 2 hours enables us to earn in 2 hours. This is less than the minimum wage anywhere in the world.”
An Instagram user wrote, “I sympathize with their priorities, but this seems beyond the reality of any Mumbaikar. 10k is basic and should be paid with gratitude and respect.”
Another said, “Even if she works in 5 houses, she gets 50 thousand per month for 10 hours of work. She would need at least 50 thousand to live a respectable life in a city like Mumbai. Don’t think this is an unreasonable demand.”
In an old interview with bollywood bubbleKulhari said that he had also discussed the matter with his manager after shifting to a new house in Yari Road. “I recently moved into a new house in Yari Road, and the rates the cook and the maid quoted us surprised me at how they made sense,” she said.
When asked how much he quoted, he replied that the worker was asking Rs 10,000 for two hours of work including broom, mop, utensils, dust and cloth.
He further added, “She is coming for two hours and doing whatever work can be done in that time, and she is charging me Rs 10,000. At that time, we said, is this it, looking at our faces? It seemed like they thought we could have a little more, so they asked for more.”
This debate has now started a larger conversation online about domestic labour, fair wages and the economy of living in metro cities like Mumbai. While some users understood Kirti’s surprise at the cost, many argued that domestic workers are often paid less despite enabling working professionals to manage tough schedules.