Rs 10,000 a month for house-helps? Mini Mathur joins Kirti Kulhari in viral debate

Actor Mini Mathur has criticised fellow actor Kirti Kulhari after an old interview clip of hers discussing domestic help salaries resurfaced online and sparked debate on social media.

In the viral clip from an old interview, Kirti spoke about shifting to a new home in Mumbai’s Yari Road and being shocked by the amount quoted by a domestic worker for household chores.

As the clip resurfaced, Mathur and several Instagram users objected to the remark. While some people said rising household costs in metro cities were difficult to manage, others said the comment appeared out of touch, especially in a city like Mumbai.

Mini Mathur commented on a post sharing the old clip and wrote, "Think of how much her 2 hours enable us to earn in 2 hours. This is below minimum wage anywhere else in the world (sic)."

One Instagram user wrote, "I empathise with her priorities but this does sound rather out of touch with any Mumbaikars lived reality. 10k is basic and ought to be paid with gratitude and respect (sic)."

Another said, "Even if she does 5 houses, that’s 50k per month for 10 hours of work. In a city like Mumbai living a dignified life she would need at least 50k. Don’t think it’s an unfair ask."

In the old interview with Bollywood Bubble, Kulhari said she had also discussed the matter with her manager after shifting to a new house in Yari Road. She said, "I had just moved into a new house in Yari Road, and the rates we were quoted by the cook and the maid made me wonder how they made sense."

When she was asked, how much did they quote, she replied that for two hours of work involving sweeping, mopping, utensils, dusting and clothes, the worker was asking for Rs 10,000.

She 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 point, we were like, is it by looking at our faces? It felt like they thought we might have a little more, so they asked for more."

The debate has now opened up a larger conversation online around domestic labour, fair wages and the economics of living in metro cities like Mumbai. While some users understood Kirti’s surprise over the costs, many argued that domestic workers are often underpaid despite enabling working professionals to manage demanding schedules.