Hyderabad: Actor Sanaya Irani, best known for portraying Gunjan in Miley Jab Hum Tum, and Khushi in Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon, shared her experiences with the casting couch, reflecting on some disturbing incidents from her career. She recounted an encounter with a prominent Bollywood director who showed extreme rudeness towards her. Additionally, she shared a separate experience involving a director from the South who suggested that the industry required "fuller" people.
During a recent interaction with a newswire, Sanaya opened up about various phases of her life, including her childhood and her formative years in the acting world. When the topic of casting couch experiences arose, she found herself with several anecdotes to share. Reflecting on one particular experience in the South, she described a man who insisted on meeting her for a film role, despite her unwillingness to pursue acting at that time.
She said, "Long ago, a person from the South wanted to meet me for a film. At that point, I didn't want to do films. But, this person was hellbent on meeting me. So I just went, and after the meeting, he was like 'We need a little fuller person'. And I was like 'then I am not the fuller person'." Furthermore, Sanaya expressed her belief that many people in the industry often meet aspiring actors to check whether they are the kind who "slept or haven't slept" with anybody.
Sanaya continued by recalling another incident involving a notable Bollywood director. Following a request from his secretary, she was led to believe she was auditioning for a music video, only to discover it was actually for a film. She stated, "There was a lot of misunderstanding. I was told I was auditioning for a music video but this was a film. I told the secretary, 'I won't do it'. She was like, 'Please sir will get angry, just speak to him once'."
She mentioned that upon calling the director, he informed her that he was entering a meeting and requested a call back after thirty minutes. Thinking it was considerate to wait a bit longer, Sanaya called back after forty-five minutes. "And when I called, he was like what's the time? I just blurted out the time. And he was like what time did I ask you to call me? I was like you asked me to call at 11:30 and again he was like what’s the time? Now this time, I was like is he really throwing attitude at me? Because I am not buying this. So I said, 'Is this what we are talking about or are we moving forward? I just gave you a little bit of grace that I shouldn't be calling exactly in half an hour," she added.
The director then proceeded to describe his project, mentioning the involvement of several big heroes and stating, "You will have to wear a bikini." Sanaya asked her character in the film, following which he questioned if she was comfortable wearing a bikini. She said his tone grew increasingly disrespectful, and so she hung up the call abruptly. Thus, her account sheds light on the issues of integrity and respect within the industry.
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