‘Casting couch’ is prevalent in Bollywood, reveals actor.
By Dileep Thekkethil
Ranveer Singh has revealed that he faced the ‘casting couch’ situation during his struggling years and said it is a common experience among actors who are trying to break into the industry.
During an interview with NDTV, the Bajirao Mastani actor said that he was invited by a casting director to his residence in Andheri.
Singh, even though he didn’t reveal the name of the director, said he is a highly acclaimed gentleman in Bollywood industry.
Singh said that director didn’t even go through his portfolio before asking for sexual favors.
“I had worked as an assistant director and I knew that there are no takers for 500-page portfolio. Mine was very impressive and people were intrigued enough to at least take a look at it,” Singh said.
According to Ranveer, the director started off a conversation telling him that he is sexy and smart for Bollywood but advised him to open to “take and touch.”
Unlike many other Bollywood actors who might have undergone similar embarrassment but kept it a secret, Singh is open to discussions and critical to ill practices in Bollywood.
Singh added that when he rejected the demand of the casting director, the man showed his meaner face by negotiating with him to touch or at least 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.
“I later spoke with other strugglers who said the man had made similar propositions to them,” he added.