It certainly is true that the worst womanizers play saintly good characters on screen. Numerous articles of similar casting couch stories suggest that the part of sexual favors being exchanged is true enough. Happens in all cases, at all levels. No one is immune and that is why many actors/actresses always tend to get associated with the big shots. Most others don't have a choice.
Remember Esha gupta strip scene for Raaz which was later scrapped of the film? Ranveer Singh and Ayushman Khurana, who say they have had to deal with dirty proposals, make it clear that it's a reality for men too. Not just Bollywood, it happens in television industry, South films, Bengali films, all regional industries too. Probably as long as there's money involved, nothing is going to change.
Bollywood's casting couch exposed: Sex today, film role tomorrow
After hearing horror stories of struggling actors being exploited by casting agents, we decided to blow the lid off Bollywood's worst-kept secret. In a sting operation, Asira Tarannum and Sonali Joshi Pitale meet casting agents, only to find that most of them are just glorified pimps
http://www.mid-day.com/articles/bollywoods-casting-couch-exposed-sex-today-film-role-tomorrow/15126061
Actor Suchitra Krishnamoorthi has revealed that she experienced the casting couch while struggling to get a break in Bollywood. The actor says that though she managed to escape, the incident left a scar. Suchitra, the former wife of noted filmmaker Shekhar Kapur, made her debut in 1994 with 'Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa'.
She described the "scary'' incident in her blog, which occurred when she was still in her teens trying to make a career in the film industry.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/I-experienced-casting-couch-Suchitra/articleshow/4965974.cms
Lights, Camera, Couch?
Smriti (22), came to Mumbai with the dream of winning a dance reality show but failed because she refused to be part of the casting couch, the film and television industry's worst-kept secret. "I failed to reach the top five of the show because I refused to be receptive to the director's advances. But another girl who agreed to give in remained on the show.''
In fact, videos of fake auditions conducted by co-ordinators are often sold in the market or on websites. A source said, "I remember a bungalow was booked by a middleman who called a bunch of strugglers on the pretext of shooting a film. The fake shoot, which went on from for more than a fortnight, was done for his client who wanted to have 'fun' at a cheap price. I don't think the girls got any remuneration for spending so much time on the set.'' He adds, "Newcomers photographs are circulated with their phone numbers and they find random people calling them up."
Women in the television don't find it any different and even lead actresses are often replaced. An industry source says, "A top executive of a production house dropped an actress from a serial as she refused to meet him at his flat in the western suburbs.''
Shyam Benegal, Filmmaker I started my film struggle in the early 70s and not much has changed for junior artistes since then, be it men or women. It's just that they get air-conditioned rooms at times nowhttp://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Lights-Camera-Couch/articleshow/18722151.cms
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