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 for sexual favours from a job applicant in exchange for a job in the entertainment industry, especially acting roles. The 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.
Time and again actresses have spoken up against the casting couch and harassment. Previously, #MeToo movement hit the headlines which exposed some popular names from several professional fields across the country.
Rani Chatterjee accuses filmmaker Sajid Khan of Casting Couch, exposes his dark side
“Since he’s such a huge director in Bollywood, I listened to him. I went to his Juhu house where he was alone. He initially told me that he was casting me for the ‘Dhoka Dhoka’ item song. He told me that I will have to wear a short lehenga and asked me to show him my legs. Since I was wearing a long skirt, I had to lift it till my knees assuming maybe that is the process.”
“I got scared when he asked me to tell him about my breast size. Don’t be shy, do you have a boyfriend or not? How often do you have sex? I got uncomfortable and asked him ‘what is all this conversation?’ He thought I would do him a favour but I immediately left. He even tried to touch me inappropriately,” Rani Chatterjee added.