The infamous ‘casting couch’ is alive and well in the Indian film industry. This extract from my report way back in 1999 gives you a macro picture of the sordid state of affairs that have been around even before we were born!
In 1999, actress Ruchita Prasad figured prominently in the movie directors’ Most Unwanted list. The reason, she said, at the time, was that she refused to have ‘dinner’ with them.
Tracing the history of the ‘casting couch’, she told this writer that it all started when she played the role of a prostitute’s daughter to perfection in her very first movie. “I played it so well that many people thought that the character I played on-screen was also true off-screen. I kept getting calls from producers and directors in the first few days of the film’s release. I signed 22 films and was paid the signing amount (ranging from Rs 25,000 – Rs 1 lakh). But later, I found that they wanted to have ‘dinner’ with me. When I refused, they replaced me with another heroine who was ready to do whatever they wanted.”
Ruchita maintained that the ‘casting couch’ phenomenon is also prevalent in modelling and television. “Most producers have been good to me. It’s only the other people like the director and the cameraman who come on to you,” she said, adding that this has been happening to her even now. “I have lost more than 20 films by now because I refused to play along with the director. Calling me for ‘dinner’ is irritating. But now, I am used to it, and reject such offers at the outset.”
From the big screen to the little screen, Ruchita has taken up an acting assignment for a Hindi serial titled ‘Jeena Yahan’ on Sony TV, along with heavyweights like Parikshit Sahni and Tanuja. “Shah Rukh Khan made it big with TV. So why not me?” she asks. “I will do whatever comes my way… whether it’s modelling, TV or films. For the past 6-7 months, I’ve become very moody.”
Way back in 1999, Ruchita only had four films on hand, which was why she was desperately trying to prove herself on television.
Today, despite what happened nine years ago, Ruchita is still acting in south Indian films. How come?