We are all in awe of Bollywood’s glitz. However, there are two sides to every coin, as the phrase goes. Bollywood also deals with a filthy and sinister side, the casting couch. Television and Bollywood actors both deal with the casting couch. This is a horrible and perverted behaviour that has caused difficulty for many aspiring actors and a major loss of respect. Payal Ghosh has accused Anurag Kashyap of participating in MeToo. Recently, a lot of performers have come up and opened up about their struggles. Let’s take a look at a few actors that had to portray these gruesome incidents. But first, we want to make sure you correctly grasp what a “casting couch” is.
Many immigrants must endure the emotional and physical suffering of casting a couch in both their personal lives and professional careers. Celebrities have recently been discussing the problem and being upfront about it, which really sheds light on Bollywood’s shadowy side.
What does “Casting Couch” actually mean?
The term “casting couch” describes a way of thinking in which producers and directors favour and exploit aspiring actors and actresses. The filmy option is made available to the children in return for s*xual favours.
1. Surveen Chawla
The stunning actress made a dramatic Bollywood debut in 2014’s Hate Story 2 with her unique sense of style. By stating that she had to deal with the casting couch in the southern film industry but that she never gave up and kept working hard, she was stating the obvious.
2. Kalki Koechlin
She is one of the few famous people who has spoken out against the use of casting couches. When Kalki was requested to make a concession for that, she simply declined the offers.
3. Ayushmann Khurrana
Ayushmann Khurrana was a well-known anchor on the tiny screen before becoming a successful actor. He was approached to perform s*xual favours by various casting directors back when he was struggling, but he politely declined. Additionally, Mr. Khurana told the reporters that the the casting a couch is a fact in life in Hollywood. Once he said,
“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.”
4. Kangana Ranaut
The actress, who is renowned for her commanding presence on screen, revealed that she once turned down an attempt for a s*xual favour.
5. Ranveer Singh
Bollywood’s hottie once talked openly about how he almost fell prey to the casting couch, but he always believed that his talent was greater, thus he never ever compromised on such things.
6. Tisca Chopra
Tisca Chopra admitted to the media that she has previously been contacted for something similar, but she never compromised on her dignity. The Taare Zameen Par actress refused to “bed squeeze” the director.
He said “I want the script to penetrate every inch of E your body”. -Tisca Chopra
Also, Read 6 TV Actresses And Their Shocking Casting Couch Stories; Check Them Out
7. Rakhi Sawant
“Girls in the industry have been exploited since the beginning, but today even the guys in the profession are facing this,” a Bollywood item girl said. We are forced to live in this kalyug, which is sad.
8. Maushmi Udeshi
The actress is open about her experiences in Bollywood, saying that “unless you are born with a silver spoon in your mouth and belong to one of those famous star families who have a great influence on Bollywood, people tend to take you for granted.”
9. Preeti Jain
Preeti Jain’s case, which involved accusations against renowned director Madhur Bhandarkar in 2004, is known as the infamous casting couch scandal in Bollywood. Jain claimed that Bhandarkar repeatedly exploited her under the guise of getting married to her and hiring her for his movie. When Bhandarkar was exonerated by the Supreme Court in 2012, the case was fully adjudicated.
10. Sameera Reddy
It takes two hands to applaud, the well-known actress noted when discussing the casting couch. There are no victims. All of us are just players. A piece of advise from Sameera for budding actresses is to avoid being swayed by B and C-grade directors because they might only be there to take advantage of you.
11. Priyanshu Chatterjee
“I was approached for a s*xual favour by this individual who promised me a film in return,” the Tum Bin star admitted. But since the movie wasn’t made, I was justified in not believing him.
12. Mamta Kulkarni
During the filming of China Gate, the stunning actress Mamta Kulkarni accused Rajkumar Santoshi of using a casting couch.
13. Suchitra Krishnamurthy
The Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa actress also spoke candidly about the incident involving the casting couch and claimed that some incidents go unreported due to a lack of evidence.
14. Sambhavna Seth
The Bhojpuri actress also highlighted that the problem of the casting couch in Bollywood and the film industry affects everyone, regardless of gender.
15. Payal Rohatgi
Payal Rohatgi also accused film director Dibaker Banerjee, claiming that he had previously asked her to participate in the film by giving him some pleasure, but she had politely declined the invitation. Says Payal:
“Dibakar came to my house and commented that I had gained weight. He asked me to lift my shirt and show him my stomach. I didn’t like it. I told him I was in no mood for jokes. But he did not agree. I told him to leave.”
16. Sunny Leone
Sunny Leone’s entry here, while unethical, is not even a shock. Not because we think she deserved it, nobody does, but our culture is so narrow-minded because we believe she would be open to these ideas only because she has worked in the p**n industry. She declined the offer to sleep with the producer though.
Casting couch has always been a part of the film industry and even today it is very prevalent!