Actor Rakhi Sawant has come out in the open to defend Saroj Khan for her comments on casting couch few days ago. While acknowledging that she too had faced the phenomenon of casting couch, Rakhi said that she never gave in to those demands of sexual favour.
“Nobody rapes anyone in this film industry. It’s all consensual and voluntary. In this, I fully support Sarojji. At least she has spoken her mind and let the world know the truth. People in Bollywood don’t speak out the truth about the casting couch although it is happening right here in front of their eyes. They feel they are making their way up why should they bother with what’s happening around them? I really admire Sarojji for letting the world know the reality that they have to face every day. Sarojji has seen what goes here. I totally agree with her,” the controversial actor was quoted by IANS.
Speaking to media last week, renowned choreographer Saroj Khan had justified the prevalent casting couch in the Hindi film industry saying that ‘this is nothing new.’ She had said, “This is nothing new, there’s always someone who wants to take advantage of girls. The governments do that. The people in governments do that. Why are you targeting the film industry? At least, it gives you work and doesn’t abandon you after raping the girls.”
Rakhi blamed the girls for producers exploiting the young aspirants adding that ‘girls, these days, are ready to do anything to get work.’
She said, “Young girls are willing to make any compromise to get going in their career. Aaj kal to ladkiyan kehti hain, Kuch bhi kar lo, mujhe kaam de do’. Iss mein producer ki kya ghalti hai? (Girls, these days, are ready to do anything to get work. Why to blame producers for this?) Sarojji is not wrong. A lot of girls come in the film industry to become heroines but become something else… you understand what I am saying? Call it destiny or what you will.”
Not so long ago, leading producer Ekta Kapoor has made a sensational revelation on the prevalent phenomenon of casting couch in Bollywood. Speaking at a Town Hall event organised by an English channel, Kapoor said that it was not fair to always blame people in power for complaints of sexual harassment.
Casting couch is a phenomenon prevalent in the Indian film industry, where aspiring artists are sexually exploited in exchange of roles in movies. Not so long ago, a Telugu film actorhad removed her clothes in public to protest against casting couch in the south Indian film industry.
