Ankita Lokhande opens up about her casting couch experience at 19: ‘A south producer asked me to…’

Ankita Lokhande who was recently seen in Bigg Boss 17, is Currently awaiting the release of her upcoming movie Swatantra Veer Savarkar. The actress recently opened up about facing the casting couch at the age of 19. 

In an interview with Hauterrfly, Ankita Lokhande recalled, “Maine South film ka audition diya tha. Mujhe call aaya ki aap sign karne aa jao. Mai bahaut khush thi, toh maine apni maa ko bola mai sign karke aati hu. Mujhe bhi doubt tha ki itni aasani se kaise hua? (I gave an audition for a south film. I got a call to receive the signed amount. I was happy and told my mom that I would go to receive the signed amount. However, I was in two minds that how did this happen so easily?)"

Ankita further revealed that when she reached to sign the contract, she was asked ‘to compromise’ and said, “Jab mai sign karne gayee toh sirf mujhe andar bulaya aur meri co-ordinator ko rukne ko kaha. Mujhe bola gaya, 'you have to compromise.' I was just 19 at that time. Tabhi mera heroine banna hai walla phase chall raha tha (When I went there, I was called alone inside the room while my co-ordinator was asked to sit outside. I was told, "You have to compromise." I was only 19 then. I had the aspiration of becoming a heroine.” 

She further added how she dealt with it and said, “What kind of compromise?" Then the reply came straight cut, "Apko producer ke sath sona padega (You have to sleep with the producer)." Ankita rejected the offer to the face of the person and said, "I don't think your producer needs talent; he just needs a girl to sleep with, and I am not that one' and I just walked off."

Meanwhile, after her stint in Bigg Boss 17, Ankita Lokhande will be seen sharing the screen with Randeep Hooda in Swatantra Veer Savarkar. The film tells the life journey of Indian freedom fighter and reformer Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, popularly known as Veer Savarkar. It also stars R Bhakti Klein, Amit Sial, and others in key roles and is scheduled to hit the theatres on March 22.