I'm a White guy in Bollywood AMA

TFS 😊

Some of them are lovely. Some are epically stubborn and vain and kinda rude. Just the same as normal people.

Except, I guess, there's a kind of status that comes with being a dick - like if you're able to be that rude/picky/whatever, you must be famous. So I think people milk that by being dicks. I know for a fact I was edited out of at least one scene because the lead actor turned up at editing and demanded that happen; and in the scene in Dostana (posted elsewhere in this AMA) I later found out that the reason we weren't standing together in the scene (me with John Abraham and Abhishek Bachchan) was because he didn't like that I was so tall I was making Abhishek look short - so inexplicably they're over the other side of the stage and the camera needs to whip-pan to them when I talk about them.

LOL Abhishek is insecure about his height too?!

Originally posted by: Justajoo

About Casting couch

[quote]Pretty real. Particularly for girls. Girls would really, really struggle with this, apparently even the famous Indian ones, but certainly the white ones. Continually get taken out to dinner by a 'producer' who wanted to talk about a role for a film; and the dinner would be in the Marriot or somewhere where he'd already taken a room upstairs. As far as I could tell the only real way around it for girls was to make do with small roles or get hitched with someone quite famous.

For guys, I didn't deal with much except when I did any modelling. I mean, except for people getting handsy on-set, which was kinda common (I was touched up two, maybe three times). But in modelling it's explicit as f**k.

Story time: I was on set for a film, and a really famous fashion designer was there because he was friends with the director or someone. He's there, just checking things out and drinking chai and stuff. Anyway, he starts talking to me about whether I want to do modelling and I said "I suck at it, but a ramp show does seem like a lot of fun", so he takes my name and connects with me on FB. That night, he starts sending some pretty crazy explicit messages, basically saying "If you don't f**k me/suck me off, you ain't getting any work" (just with him, not threatening to ruin my career I should add). I mentioned it to an Iranian guy the next day on another set for another thing, he was a model, and he unloaded. Said his agent was about to send him back to Iran because he wouldn't 'play ball' and as a result wasn't getting any ramp work. Said it was pretty much the understood thing that if you wanted to get ramp shows and serious modelling work, you pretty much had to bend over for it; then recounted about seven or eight really dodgy incidents which were kinda rapey as f**k.[/quote]

Originally posted by: ---Betty---

Reverse Casting couch?

I find this very interesting and telling

"Aside from what /u/bollywoodgora said, there is also a "reverse" casting couch.

I have friends in the industry, producers, actors and all that, and the amount of propositioning they get from women wanting a break in the industry is just f**king crazy.

It is not even hearsay, they show me pics that these women send them, usually the conversations on chat go,

New Actress :Hey, I was given your number by xyz, I am looking for a break, here is the link to my portfolio online, Friend: Sure, thanks, let me give it a check, New Actress: I do risque stuff also, here are a few pics that you won't find online - send pics of tits, cleavage etc etc. Friend: Let me check and get back, NA: I am willing and open for anything to get the role, lemme know if you wanna meet up.

The industry, esp for new entrants without a family backing is extremely competitive, and women, esp the really hot one use their body and favours as currency"

This really bothered me... They don't give a #%*# about stuntmen's saftey

What if something really happens to them? Do they get some compensation or even an apology? I don't think so

Well I was hurt quite badly in a stunt in this film, 'Luck' at 2.56.

We had to run across train tracks for some sadistic betting ring, me and a bunch of other people and Sanjay Dutt. Each of us get nailed by the trains - except him. I'm first to shoot the getting hit by a train bit, and they do it by pulling a diesel locomotive up to next to me, putting me in a harness and attaching it to a pulley system and pneumatic arm. The pneumatic arm is charged up with pressurised air, and then released, and I'm yanked off my feet into the air - as if pinged off the train as it hits me.

Well what they hadn't figured was that as I was yanked up and left, my legs would flick right. Smashed my ankle into that giant push-plate thing on the end of the train. Broke off a bit of bone. I am screaming, dangling in the air, and the stunt directors crew come over to grab me and stop me swinging - by my busted ankle. Jesus it hurt.

What did they say? Didn't say shit. Didn't even say sorry. Just kept complaining that as we had to re-shoot the jumping out of the truck bit, my ankle hurt too much and was too swollen for me to jump off a truck onto uneven railway stones. I disliked that stunt director. That was the second time he risked my safety.

Edit: F##KERS DIDN'T EVEN USE THAT SHOT! I'd not seen the scene until just now."

Originally posted by: ---Betty---

This really bothered me... They don't give a #%*# about stuntmen's saftey

What if something really happens to them? Do they get some compensation or even an apology? I don't think so

"The stunts were almost always like "Hey we're going to put your life at risk" and if you got cranky later at the level or risk, the response tended to be "But everything turned out okay didn't it?" which often felt like the Bollywood version of "It's a prank brah"

Well I was hurt quite badly in a stunt in this film, 'Luck' at 2.56.

We had to run across train tracks for some sadistic betting ring, me and a bunch of other people and Sanjay Dutt. Each of us get nailed by the trains - except him. I'm first to shoot the getting hit by a train bit, and they do it by pulling a diesel locomotive up to next to me, putting me in a harness and attaching it to a pulley system and pneumatic arm. The pneumatic arm is charged up with pressurised air, and then released, and I'm yanked off my feet into the air - as if pinged off the train as it hits me.

Well what they hadn't figured was that as I was yanked up and left, my legs would flick right. Smashed my ankle into that giant push-plate thing on the end of the train. Broke off a bit of bone. I am screaming, dangling in the air, and the stunt directors crew come over to grab me and stop me swinging - by my busted ankle. Jesus it hurt.

What did they say? Didn't say shit. Didn't even say sorry. Just kept complaining that as we had to re-shoot the jumping out of the truck bit, my ankle hurt too much and was too swollen for me to jump off a truck onto uneven railway stones. I disliked that stunt director. That was the second time he risked my safety.

Edit: F##KERS DIDN'T EVEN USE THAT SHOT! I'd not seen the scene until just now."