Behind the glitzy world of cinema lurk many dark and forbidding truths, the kinds that have always been there but seldom see the light of the day. A Bollywood bloodline comes with its advantages. And when it comes to making a debut or landing a good project, B-Town blatantly goes on with its practicing of introducing star kids. It’s the newcomers or the ‘commoners’ who have to struggle to bag a role. Forget second chances, their chances of getting their debut are close to bare-minimum. And casing couch is also an unfortunate reality that they face. While so many decide to stay mum about it all, there are a few who have the courage to speak up about their ghastly experiences.
After Zareen Khan, Anushka Shetty, and Rajeev Khandelwal who shared their experiences with the casting couch in recent times, Ayushmann Khurrana has also come out with the story of his experience with the industry evil. Besides sharing their horrifying experiences with the world, both Rajeev and Ayushmann have also very effectively established the fact that sexual exploitation is not gender-specific.
Ayushmann recollected his ordeal in a recent interview with an entertainment portal. He said, “A casting director had told me, ‘I’ll give you the lead role if you showed me your tool.’ I told him I’m straight and I politely refused his offer.”
In the interview, Ayushmann also spoke about the initial struggles. “Initially, there used to be auditions where they would take your solo test. Then suddenly, the number started increasing and there would be 50 people in the same room. When I protested, they asked me to leave. So I have faced rejections,” he shared.
That wasn’t the end of it and just clearing the audition wasn’t enough. He shared the experience of being thrown out of a film just because the leading actress did not want to work with anybody like him back then. However, Ayushmann also believes that because of these lows, he is now well-equipped to face tough situations now. “Also, I’m well equipped to handle failure now because of the failures I saw at the very beginning of my career. Had I never witnessed the lows, I don’t think I would be able to handle it if it came now,” he said.
Rest assured, Ayushmann has certainly made his place in the industry and has successfully established the fact that if you’re talented, you don’t really need a Godfather. The real hero is someone who brings good content to the table and we hope Bollywood gives more chances to such talented actors and that nepotism doesn’t keep on sabotaging the real talent.
Featured Image: Instagram
