In the past year or so, so much has been said about the Indian entertainment industry. And despite it all, we have had those who kept supporting the industry amid the burgeoning nepotism debate. There have been those who have talked about how it is a rather inclusive industry, always welcoming to the outsiders provided that they possess real talent. But one cannot help but wonder how much weight these claims hold. The reason is simple: a star kid would never be asked to propositioned to make a “compromise” during a film’s audition, right?
Well, the fact of the matter remains that Bollywood is no stranger to casting couch. From Kalki Koechlin to Ayushmann Khurana, there are so many actors who have talked about it. In fact, it was just recently that Priyanka Chopra shared how she was asked to strip down by a filmmaker during an audition. Well, after Priyanka, now Ankita Lokhande has made some really upsetting revelations about the casting couch.
Currently going viral on social media, owing to a recent tell-all interview, the actress has talked about meeting some terrible people in the industry and how she dodged their unsolicited advances.
During the interview, Ankita shared how she was proportioned twice, once while she was trying to get into the tv industry and the next time when she was trying to make the transition from tv to films. Ankita shares that she was just 19 or 20 years old when she had her first brush with the casting couch and was smart enough to assess the situation and leave it on time.
“I was so smart, I was alone in that room and was 19 or 20 years old, and asked him, ‘Which type of compromise does your producer want? Do I have to go for parties or dinners?'” she recollected during the chat.
Ankita further added “And the moment he said it, maine uski band baja di thi (I took him to task). I told him, ‘I think your producer wants a girl to sleep with, not a very talented girl to work with.’ And I left from there. He then apologized and said he will try to take me to his film. But I said, ‘If you try and take me in also, I’m not interested in your film,’” she added.
Years later when it happened again, Ankita had had her share of industry bullies and knew better. She was already a popular face in the Indian tv industry and wanted to transition to films. For the same, she had to meet a popular actor and knew that the vibe was off the very instant she shook hands with him.
“When I got back again into films, I felt it again, just shaking hands with that person. I don’t want to take names, he was a big actor. I got those vibes, and I quickly got my hands away from him. I knew it, ab mera yahaan nahi hoga (it will not work out for me), because it is a give and take thing. I understood and I left from there because it was not for me,” she shared.
Evidently, your talent or even popularity as an actor won’t save you from industry bullies, especially if you happen to be an outsider. How is this right? Guess the problem with nepotism is not the opportunities that the ‘insiders’ get but the treatment meted to the ‘outsiders.’
Featured Image: Instagram
