Several actresses in the Indian film industry have been a victim of sexual harassment. Time and again, the actresses have spoken up against casting couch and harassment. Previously, #MeToo movement hit the headlines which exposed some popular names from several professional fields across the country.
With feminism and women empowerment becoming the most-talked subjects, actresses have become more open about prevalent issues. With the MeToo movement encouraging several women to share their ordeal of sexual abuse at the workplace, the film industry is also no exception.
Casting couch is something which has been happening behind the scenes and it is not at all a new concept rather it is as old as our civilization. People started noticing it very recently. Several actresses have been a victim of harassment in the Film Industry as well.
The casting couch is a practice of asking sexual favours from a job applicant in exchange for a job in the entertainment industry, especially acting roles. Casting couch originally referred to physical couches in the casting office. This practice is termed illegal in the United States.
Male casting directors, as well as, film producers use the casting couch in a bid to extract sex from ambitious actresses in Hollywood, Bollywood and other segments of the cinema industry.
Mallika Sherawat exposes dark side of Bollywood actors
Meanwhile, Bollywood actress Mallika Sherawat made shocking confessions in her recent interview. Shedisclosed the ugly side of Bollywood where she talked about the casting couch and how she lost projects after she turned down to compromise.
While speaking to Hindustan Times, she stated that all the A-lister heroes turned down to work with her because she ‘wouldn’t compromise’. She added, “It’s very simple — they like actresses who they can control and who will compromise with them. I am not that, my personality isn’t that.
“I didn’t want to subject myself to someone’s whims and fancies. Sit, stand, anything. If the hero calls you at 3am 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,” she added.
Earlier, while speaking to Prabhat Khabar, the actress stated, “The heroines are more confident about their bodies as well. Such a hue and cry was created when I did Murder. People said all kinds of things about the kiss and the bikini. What Deepika Padukone did in Gehraaiyaan, I did that 15 years ago, but people were too narrow-minded back then.”