Saiyami Kher who has just made her Bollywood debut with the film Mirzya recently opened up about her experience with the casting couch in the industry. “I wasn’t a very filmi kid, to be honest. I was brought up in Nagpur, away from showbiz. Not many knew who I was and who my aunts (Tanvi Azmi) were. So there was one scumbag who had tried to proposition me over the phone. He didn’t know about my lineage and thought I would fall for his trap,” she revealed. “It’s uncomfortable when you land in such situations. It’s difficult to not have a support system in this industry. I am so glad I have family here to fall back on.” Saiyami joins a list of many actors both male and female who have gone through similar experiences on their journey to stardom. Here's a a look at a few who chose to speak up:
Ayushmann Khurana
Despie being an anchor on television, Ayushmann Khurana still faced issues while he was trying to make it to the big screen. "I was a TV anchor, so a casting director directly told me that I would have to do it (provide sexual favours). 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.
Ranveer Singh
Ranveer Singh has been quite open about the face that the casting couch does exist in the industry and he too faced it when he 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 despite it being an impressive one.The man instead suggested that Ranveer had to be “smart and sexy” to get ahead in showbiz and advised Ranveer to be open to “take and touch”. When Ranveer said an outright no to the demands, the man started negotiating with him if he can just touch or if at least he can see. “Later I got to know what he was interested in. When I said ‘no’, he was heartbroken like a jilted lover,” the actor said.
Tisca Chopra
Tisca Chopra has also been open in narrating her experience on being trapped when the director called her into his room for dinner to discuss the script. What he didn't know was that the actress has done some pre planning before she knocked on his door. “I buy this exotic bouquet and this box of luxurious chocolates and I knock on Reptile’s (director) door. And he says come in, and he’s sitting in a satin maroon lungi kurta. It was so tight, it was so cheesy, but there he was reclining,” she disclosed. “He looked a little surprised when he saw me behave this way. Because he said that he didn’t expect the fly to be so enthusiastic to walk into the spider’s web.” However she had mande plans with all the crew members including the directo's song to go out for the night and had asked the hotel’s operator to transfer all calls for her room, to his room. With the numerus calls coming in, the director lost interest in discussing the script with her.
Kalki Koechlin
Kalki Koechlin has let on that although she experienced the casting couch she managed to give it a slip as well. “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,” she revealed in an interview.
