Casting couch has been a major issue in the Bollywood film industry. Television actress, who recently gained more fame for her participation in Bigg Boss, Rashami Desai, became the recent actress to open up about her traumatic days.
"When I started my career 13 years ago, I was very young and from a completely non-filmy background. I didn't know anyone from the industry. I still remember that I was told if you don't go through casting couch, you won't get work. His name is Suraj and I don't know where he's now. The first time we met, he asked me about my statistics and I didn't know what it meant back then. I told him I don't know and he knew that she's completely unaware of things. He was the first person who tried taking advantage of me and tried to molest me in some or the other way," Rashami had shared with International Business Times.
Her mother, who has always been a support for Rashami visited the man the next day and slapped him for harassing Desai."From there, I managed to come out after two and a half hours and I told my mother everything. Next day, we went to meet him again and this time, my mother slapped him," she added.
Here are other Bollywood A-listers who faced the same experience:
"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."
"In fact, I have been through that 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," said Ayushmann.
Kalki Koechlin
"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."
