70,80,90s gossip Shashi K's secretary accuses P54 - Page 2

Earlier it was almost always naive actresses being exploited by the biggies that made headlines. Not anymore. Now, it's men in the industry who find themselves at the receiving end of indecent proposals.

While not complying with these requests may damage the prospects of struggling actors, some men in the industry are now choosing to retaliate rather than keep these matters under wraps. Actor Priyanshu Chatterjee, who was targeted a few years ago, says men have always been victimised but it's only now that it's coming out in the open. "I was asked for a sexual favour by this man who promised me a film in return. But I didn't believe him, and was right in doing so, since the film wasn't made," he says.

Meanwhile, Bobby Darling, who denies the existence of the casting couch, rubbishes the allegations against him. He says, "Unlike me, Surjeet Jagdish Singh is yet to come out of the closet. I didn't promise him any roles since I'm no Shah Rukh Khan; I'm still struggling in the industry. Singh had made plans to grab media attention by publicly smooching me while pretending to be drunk. I didn't go along with his plan. That's when he made charges against me to vent his grievances. He's six feet tall, well-built ; how can I molest him? asks Bobby.

If industry sources are to be believed, it's not just men who demand sexual favours from other men. Women directors are known to make advances to and take undue advantage of struggling actors. Publicist Dale Bhagwagar says, "I know of this woman director who calls actors working for her to her house at unearthly hours and asks them to fondle her. Model Aryan Vaid was invited to the casting couch when he was struggling for work. Men are under more pressure since sometimes they have to return sexual favours to influential people of the same sex, totally against their will."

Wannabe actors hailing from small towns or non- filmi backgrounds are the usual targets. However, even established actors looking for better banners are not spared, and some are willing to go to any length to make it big. Model-turned-actor Bikram Saluja believes exploitation takes place everywhere. "I agree there's a casting couch in this industry, but I've not fallen prey to it. There are sharks out there, but it depends on whether the individual wants to be hunted or not. Doing a sexual favour is no less heinous than asking for one," he says.

Model Muzammil Ibrahim, who's making his foray into Bollywood with Pooja Bhatt's Dhoka, says these offers are made to people who go looking for them. "In my case, it was smooth sailing after winning the Mr India title. I didn't have to hunt for work; it came to me. It's one's circumstances that make one vulnerable. And innocent people do get carried away," he says.

Speaking of favours, while it's cash that has to be offered to the agents in the industry who often make false promises to innocent newcomers, it's sex that sells with filmmakers. Industry sources also reveal that around 15 per cent of the men in the industry don't have conventional sexual preferences, thereby making the men all the more vulnerable.

piali.dasgupta@timesgroup.com