Casting couch should be treated as a social problem
Monday, March 21 2005 10:38 Hrs (IST) - World Time -
Lucknow: Calling the casting couch phenomenon as Bollywood's "undeniable reality", noted filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt yesterday (Mar 20,2005) favoured looking at it as a "social problem" and not a means to harass individuals.
Referring to the recent sting operation by a news channel involving Bollywood actor Shakti Kapoor, he said, "Casting couch, as an easy method to join the film industry, has always existed but instead of harassing the messenger, we must engage it as a social problem."
"We must avoid being over eager about the issue and unnecessarily blow it out of proportion, while the problem should also not be ignored any further," Bhatt, who was in Lucknow to promote his latest film 'Zeher', said.
It is a partial victory for the news channel, though the method of carrying out the operation can be debated, he said.
Not favouring a "ban" on Kapoor, Bhatt said, "I am strictly opposed to the tendency in our society to immediately dissociate with someone caught in a wrong act."
However, he added that going by the video, there was "enough room to believe that Kapoor was guilty of using his position to exploit the girl".
Under the present circumstances wherein it was not possible to pass a judgement, a neutral position, leaving the channel and the actors exposed by it fight their own battle, should be preferred, Bhatt said.
PTI
http://news.indiainfo.com/2005/03/21/2103castcouch.html ;
A 'casting couch' in Bollywood?
02nd Aug 2004 11.11 IST
By ApunKaChoice Bureau
It is a perfect picture for a Bollywood masala film. A well-known director being accused of molestation by a young model, trying to make it big in the film industry.
Noted film director Madhur Bhandarkar of Chandni Bar fame got into trouble when a model and aspiring starlet accused him of rape and threatening her.
Though in the world of glamour there is no shortage of such 'stories', this incident has rocked the film industry.
Filmmaker Kiran Shantaram says, "Such kind of allegations have always been there but this is perhaps for the first time that allegations have been made publicly. Such controversy is bad for both filmmakers and newcomers.
Because of this incident, now film-makers would think twice of taking newcomers, and the latter would be wary of approaching film-makers fearing the worst." Shantaram says, "however, it is wrong to confine these charges to only the film industry, it happens in every industry. The allegations in the film industry get more publicity." "I think the associations of film-makers should take up the issue to put in place a system that would work as a safeguard against such happenings."
http://www.apunkachoice.com/scoop/bollywood/20040802-0.html
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