The film industry is a big family of creative people who work together to produce unique stories. Many people also have such a dream. Bollywood is all about glamour and visibility, but there are other issues that aren’t frequently talked about, like an unsafe workplace for women.
It’s simple to think that acting is one of the best occupations out there—as long as you can thrive in it—thanks to red carpets, accolades, celebrity pals, and million-dollar incomes. With stunt doubles, special effects crews, security, and the expectation that you will act for at least a few months from the director and the audience, what job could be easier?
Although we tend to concentrate on the glamorous aspects of the film industry, we should equally be aware of how problematic it can be. Many well-known figures inside the industry itself occasionally remark on this, and I am not saying it.
So, let’s find out more about some of these names:
1. Swara Bhaskar
During a panel discussion, the actress spoke openly about being mistreated by a director. She even said that it took her years to detect or identify that it constituted workplace harassment since we’re accustomed to ignoring “certain behavioural patterns.” She stated:
“I would just tell myself that this director is being… whatever, but that is not the truth. The director was not being an idiot or an ass, he was being a predator.”
2. Richa Chadha
One of the actors who publicly discussed a range of subjects, such as casting couches and casual misogyny, is Richa Chadha. She was open about being “suggestively” asked out to dinner, and after she declined, she was eventually talked into going.
The actress also stated that even after she had established herself as an actor and the person making the approaches was more powerful, she still had to deal with similar situations.
3. Kalki Koechlin
The actress has discussed s*xual assault in Bollywood and how people pass over women who are just starting out or struggling to make it. She went on to warn that many women choose not to speak up since doing so could endanger their online employment. She stated:
“People don’t listen to you if you’re a nobody. If you’re a celebrity and you talk about it, it only becomes a shocking headline.”
4. Prachi Desai
In her account of the incident, Prachi Desai described how she was asked for s*xual favours in exchange for a job offer from a “big film.” The director kept calling the actress even after she turned down the part. In her situation, she claimed that the approaches were obvious.
5. Chitrangda Singh
The actress left her role in the 2016 film Babumoshai Bandookbaaz due to a bad experience she had with shooting. Chitrangda Singh was forthright in describing how the director forced her to act in intimate moments that weren’t necessary and didn’t fit her role.
6. Tisca Chopra
Tisca Chopra spoke with Kommune India about storytelling while she was on the casting couch. She recalled how a director with whom she was working misled her into going to his hotel room so they could talk about the screenplay. But she had to actually come up with a plan of escape.
7. Aahana Kumra
As the #MeToo movement gained steam in Bollywood, many actresses came forward to discuss abusive incidents in the film industry. Aahana Kumra also talked about how she handled the difficult questioning she had after meeting with director Sajid Khan and being taken to his room.
Anirban Blah had earlier advised the actress to “talk negotiations” in a hotel room when they had spoken about a separate occasion.
8. Mallika Sherawat
In an interview, the actress explained in great detail why she wasn’t working enough. Everyone, including actors, expects “compromise” from actresses, she continued. When she rejected these attempts, it was inferred that she should have total control over them, which had an impact on her career. She stated:
“If the hero calls you at 3 AM and says, “Come to my house”, you have to go, if you are in that circle and if you are doing that film. If you don’t go, then you are out of the film.”
