Ranveer Singh, Ayushmann Khurrana faced casting couch,' says veteran journalist: 'If a director openly comes out, many actors would fear working with him'

Casting couch is one of the things which is often spoken about in the industry. However, not just female actors but male actors have also been subjected to it sometimes, during the initial years of their career. In a recent interview, veteran journalist Simi Chandoke addressed some of the industry’s more uncomfortable truths. During a recent podcast, she spoke about it, giving an example of Ranveer Singh and Ayushmann Khurrana who have earlier opened up on it.

She went on to reference a well-known filmmaker, without naming him, during in a chat with podcast Verinteresting “There are several directors, I won’t name them, but there is one particular director who has worked with actors like Salman Khan, Ranveer Singh, Hrithik Roshan, Shahid Kapoor, and others. Everyone knows he is gay. He has never been in a long-term relationship with a woman, except one very brief relationship that ended abruptly.”


Highlighting a key fear, Simi explained, “Suppose a Bollywood hero openly admits that he is gay or bisexual. When he appears on screen romancing a heroine, will audiences accept him the same way?”

According to Simi, fear and homophobia within the industry further complicate matters. “If a director openly comes out about his sexuality, many leading actors would hesitate to work with him. They fear the casting couch,” she stated.

She added that such concerns are not unfounded. “Many actors have admitted that they were asked to compromise during their struggling days. Ayushmann Khurrana and Ranveer Singh have openly spoken about being subjected to such situations,” she said.

Nearly a decade ago, Ranveer Singh had spoken to NDTV about his own casting couch experience. Recounting the incident, he had said, “There was this very sleazy gentleman from the Northern Suburbs, somewhere in Andheri. He called me over around 8 PM. I had prepared an impressive portfolio because, as an assistant director, I knew most portfolios end up in cartons. But he wasn’t interested in seeing it. Instead, he said, ‘You need to be smart and sexy; that’s how people get ahead. I will meet you in multiple offices—you will see me everywhere. Take, touch.’ I was shocked. He even tried to negotiate, saying, ‘I won’t do anything, just let me touch.’ I said no and ran away. Later, when I spoke to other struggling actors, they told me he does this to everyone.’”


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