Because of our society’s imbalanced power dynamics and social structure, incidents of sexual harassment are common and frequently go undetected. Such crimes are caused by the sensation of power that the offender gets from having the upper hand over the victim. Similar circumstances exist in the Bollywood industry, where numerous aspiring actors are harassed by casting couches who demand sexual favors from them and fall prey to this power structure. Here is a list of Bollywood celebs who faced the casting couch.
Also Read: 15 Most Overrated Bollywood Actors Who Are Still Being Cast In Movies
1. Swara Bhasker
Regarding the hotly contested subject, Swara disclosed how a Bollywood executive tried to make out with her and give her a kiss during a business meeting while posing as the manager of a well-known filmmaker.
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2. Radhika Apte
In fact, Radhika Apte has acknowledged that on numerous occasions, men in the business have behaved as though the female artist on the set needed to change. She stated: “I think once an actor in South called me on my room phone and tried to get flirtatious and I just was so rude to him. I think he fought with me later on. But anyway, I haven’t ever gotten a request saying that you have to sleep with us.”
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3. Tisca Chopra
The actor described being called into a producer-hotel director’s room during a session with Kommune India, but she ultimately managed to escape by using her cunning.
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4. Ranveer Singh
The common misconception is that the only people who experience exploitation in the film industry are women. However, Ranveer Singh has acknowledged that he received a meeting invitation to a person’s Andheri apartment.
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5. Ayushmann Khurrana
The actor mentioned in an interview that he was urged to make concessions for a movie role. He also discussed dealing with many of the same challenges that any rookie does. It is unbelievable that he is also one of the Bollywood celebs who faced the casting couch because of the stereotype that men don’t experience such things!
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6. Ankita Lokhande
Ankita Lokhande also disclosed that she had had casting couch concerns, suggesting that the issue is prevalent. She was only a young teenager—nearly 19 or 20 years old—at the time.
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7. Surveen Chawla
Like many other actresses, Suvreen Chawla has spoken out against how the South’s film business frequently involves casting couches.
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8. Saiyami Kher
Even Saiyami Kher, who is still fairly new, acknowledged having experienced similar circumstances. Thankfully, though, she had her family to lean on. She said, “It’s sad that women are often exploited in this industry. I have been in a similar situation, but I bluntly told the lady not to call me ever. 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.”
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9. Kalki Koechlin
Kalki Koechlin has talked about how a producer invited her out on a date, but after she declined because she was dating someone at the time, the team never called her back.
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10. Prachi Desai
The well-known performer from the daily serial ‘Kasam Seh’ recently talked about the casting hurdles she encountered when she first entered the business. In a recent interview, she said that in exchange for her casting in a “major film,” she had to perform sexual favours, which she politely declined. The director called her again after she declined the offer, but she maintained her position.
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11. Sameera Reddy
It needs two hands to applaud, Sameera Reddy stated when discussing the casting couch. There are no victims. All of us are just players. A piece of advice 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.
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12. Aditi Rao Hydari
Aditi claimed that originally, when she refused to comply with the requests, she used to lose her job. Aditi said she even cried about it, but she never regretted standing up for what she believed in. She stated: “How can they talk to me like that, I thought. I went without a job for approximately eight months [after the incident], but I believe that decision strengthened my resolve to accomplish the kind of work I wanted to perform. Since I lost my father in 2013, it was a rough year for me, but starting in 2014, everything started to fall into place. Sometimes you have to face a situation head-on, walk away, and feel completely at ease with it, and that’s how I felt.”
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13. Richa Chadha
Richa recently discussed sexism and the casting couch, she encountered in an interview. Richa described a situation in which she initially failed to recognise that someone was making approaches toward her. “I failed to understand it a few times. I was naive and very young.
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This was our list of Bollywood celebs who faced the casting couch. Disgusting, isn’t it?