Still from a video on YouTube. (courtesy: SiddharthKannanOfficial)
In the aftermath of the Me Too Movement, several stars from the Indian film and television industry have candidly shared their casting couch experiences. Supermodel and actress Aditi Govitrikar recently spoke about her experience in an interview with Siddharth Kannan. Describing the incident, she said, “Mai South Africa gai thi ek bahut badi film thi uske shoot ke liye. Aur tabhi matlab mujhe samajh nahi aya ki this person is asking for this. To maine to matlab hassa, uske face pe hi main hass ke, udhar se chali gai. Ki aap pagalo ho, or are you stupid? Aisa kuch bolke mai chali gai to unka ego hurt hua. Next day, mujhe aur mere team ko pack up karke Bombay bhej dia gaya. Mujhe samjha bhi nahi ye kya hua. [I went to South Africa for the shoot of a very big film. At that moment, I didn't quite grasp that this person was making inappropriate advances. So, I simply chuckled, laughed right in his face, and walked away, saying, 'Are you crazy, or are you stupid?' By uttering these words, I unintentionally bruised his ego. The next day, my team and I were asked to wrap up and sent back to Bombay. I didn't even comprehend what had happened.]”
“Fir mujhe meeting ke liye bulaya kyuki hum logo ne teen-chaar din ka shoot kiya tha. To unhone kuch to faaltu excuse di ki aisa hai, aisa hai. To maine bola theek hai ab. Tabhi mujhko samjha ki kuch to hua hai, maine mna kia iske liye mujhe nikal diya gya film se. [Then I was called for a meeting because we had shot for three to four days. They gave some unnecessary excuses, saying this and that. So, I said okay. That's when I realised that something had happened; I refused, and they removed me from the film],” Aditi added.
Earlier, actress Suchitra Krishnamoorthi also spoke to Siddharth Kannan about having faced the casting couch in the industry. Recalling her experience, Suchitra Krishnamoorthi -- best known for her work in Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa -- said that a filmmaker-producer asked her to spend the night with him. "We were meeting in a hotel and in those days, a lot of meetings happened in hotels. It was quite common. I said I am very close to my father. He said, 'Very nice, then call your father and tell him that I will drop you back home tomorrow morning,'" Suchitra Krishnamoorthi said in the interview.
Explaining that it took her a while to process what was happening, Suchitra Krishnamoorthi added: "I was almost on the verge of tears. I picked up all my stuff and I said I'm just coming and I ran. It takes you a while to process. Then I was like it's 4-5 pm right now. What am I going to do with him till tomorrow morning? Then it started striking me what he is probably intending.”
On the work front, Aditi Govitrikar is known for her work in Bheja Fry 2, Paheli, and Mismatched, among others. She was the first Indian woman to win the Mrs. World title in 2001.