As Shakespeare once said, “All that glitters is not gold”; casting couch is the dark reality of this glamourous film industry.
Let’s look at these 6 Bollywood celebs & their casting couch experiences.
1. Kalki Koechlin
This Bollywood actress has been known for being vocal about serious issues. While talking about the presence of the casting couch in the film industry, Kalki recalled her experiences.
“And while we are talking about the notorious casting couch, I must say, of course, it exists! It did try and entangle me in its grip but I am slippery, I always managed to get out of it. The minute I felt uncomfortable, I walked away! The crux of the matter is that a bad actor, however much she works her way through the casting couch, will never sustain. She still remains a bad actor! The casting couch is not the answer to any aspiring actor’s route to success.”
2. Ayushmann Khurrana
Yes, Ayushmann Khurrana had also faced this dark reality of Bollywood. In one of his interviews the ‘Dream Girl’ actor shared his experience.
“I have been through that (casting couch) initially when I was part of the industry. I was a TV anchor, so a casting director directly told me that I would have to do it. So, I told him that if I was not straight, I might have given it a thought, but I can’t do it. So yeah, the casting couch exists, but eventually, it’s your talent or potential as an actor or performer which would last. You don’t need to give in to such stuff.”
3. Ranveer Singh
The ‘Ram Leela’ actor faced the casting couch when he was a struggling actor.
“Yes, casting couch does exist in the industry. I’ve experienced it during my struggling days. But it depends on how you tackle the situation. I chose to decline politely.”
This supposedly happened when Ranveer was invited by a casting director to his home in Andheri. He described the man as “a highly sleazy gentleman” and said the man did not even look at his portfolio. The man went on to tell him that he has to be “smart and sexy” to get ahead in showbiz. He advised Ranveer to be open to “take and touch”.
4. Radhika Apte
During a candid chat with Bollywood Life, the ‘Parched’ actress Radhika Apte talked about her casting couch experience.
“Once I got a call and they said ‘they’re doing this film in Bollywood and I want you to have a meeting with them. But would you be okay sleeping with that person?’ And I laughed! I said you’re so funny, you’re very funny and I said no I’m not. Ask him to go to hell.”
5. Swara Bhaskar
The ‘Veere Di Wedding’ actress never shied away from discussing any social issues in public. Swara Bhaskar once revealed facing the horrific experience of casting couch and how a director harassed her.
“He stalked me during the day and called me through the night. I was asked to go to his hotel room on the pretext of discussing the scene and would find him drinking. During the first week itself, he started talking about love and sex, and one night, arrived in my room, drunk, and asked to be hugged. It was scary.”
6. Suvreen Chawla
In an interview with Pinkvilla, actress Suvreen Chawla opened up on facing the dreadful experiences not once or twice but five times– twice in Bollywood and thrice in the South film industry.
“A director wanted to see how my cleavage looked. Another director wanted to see how my thighs looked.”