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ShareMumbai: The womb where the dye of an actor is cast is the couch. So vouch strugglers who have seen the seamier side of Bollywood and indeed Tellywood, while referring to casting couch. In the labyrinthine paths of the film and television industry, directors, producers and whosoever matters, asking for sexual favours in return for a coveted role now no longer elicits surprise, even less, awe. Some vouch it's always been there, only the couch was mentioned under the breath.
Now, it's out in the open. After sting operations exposed actors Shakti Kapoor and Aman Verma in the past, the floodgates were thrown open on how female struggling actors are purportedly 'trapped' in a web of sexual deceit with tall promises. Suddenly, everyone, from Preity Zinta, Mahima Choudhary and Suchitra Krishnamurthy was talking about how they were indecently propositioned during their days of struggle.
Shearing away from the prurient grime surfaces the mother of all questions: who's made the nubile damsels vulnerable, the lecherous sharks or the aspiring actors themselves?
To begin with, like in any other industry, the majority of Bollywood is ruled by good people. It's only a handful who brings the stain. But they aren't the real problem. The real problem lies in larger-than-life dreams having taken to heights which obfuscate the ground reality down below.
Vaulting ambition, layered with impatience sometimes push the girls to the limit. "Let's be clear -- casting couch exists in Bollywood and girls must be careful. Scores of girls come from outside the state with a dream. Talent is aplenty, while there are few opportunities. In the jostle to make their dreams come true, many girls exhibit impatience, thereby making themselves vulnerable to those waiting to take advantage. Eventually, it's the girls themselves who have to decide which course to choose," believes Sheeba Akhtar, who runs Two Tulips Entertainment, a talent management company.
That's the crux of the issue. Ultimately, it's the aspiring actor who stands at a crossroads -- whether to stand firm and wait till her talent kisses success, or succumb to the lures of rush to get a break. "The Hindi filmdom is a mix of good and bad," says 23-year-old Neetu Wadhwa from New Delhi, who has acted in many television serials and is waiting for her break in films, "but sleeping around with people doesn't help. I have two friends who, for the last five years in Mumbai, have entertained several men who matter. Till date, they haven't got a single assignment. Beware of facades."
As for indecent proposals, they are seldom made directly and often come veiled as subtle innuendoes. "Playing on your own terms requires nerves of steel. You need patience and most importantly, an alternative to fall back on in Mumbai. This bolsters you, both morally and financially, and shields you from falling prey to quick-fix allurements," opines Piazza Priyam of Orissa, who teaches theatre at Mumbai's Helen O' Grady Drama Academy and is trying her luck in films too.
It's a slippery issue and shall ever remain so. Sex for opportunity will ever remain 'in bed' like star-crossed lovers. It's up to the girls to decide whether to cosy up or kick the butt. As Mahesh Bhatt said in an interview, "The rot is within us. We've got to set things right ourselves."
