* DOTW #13 Casting Couch In Pakistani Showbiz *

Hello everybody.😊

Casting couch is one of the issues which many newcomers or even some established actors and models face to get in the showbiz. 

Few Pakistani actors and mpdels adressed this issue in the past, and less than few named the accused ppl.😔

Lately newcomer : Saba Bukhari opened up about this issue.. Faryal Mehmood too in an interview spoked about it , and hinted at a channel in which such things take place.🤓 

In the past some ppl were accused of harrassment, but nothing was proved.. The sad part is that some of the allegations were fake, and sometimes ppl badmouth the victimes who choose to talk about these things, thinking they are doing it for publicity.😳

So what do you think guys? Pls share your views about this topic.😳

Which channel did faryaal hint? 

Sleeping for favors imo is common in majority of businesses. I don’t think it is unique to drama or movie business. Obviously it’s probably more prevalent here cause of so many pretty people. These casting directors or other hire ups in the channel or production house take advantage of these young girls. Some of these girls don’t know better. Some of em do it willingly. It’s the sad reality but when you have to deal with such stiff competition, any little advantage can make or break ur career. A lot of times it’s the person without a background in the industry, having to do this cause nepo kids get easier path n take there possible spots without a fair chance. I wish it was not needed but I can’t blame the actors for doing it. Nothing is fair in this world, you have find ur advantage to make it. Obviously in this case, it goes without saying, it’s haram n I will say don’t do it, nothing in this world is worth sinning for. 

Thank you Gobi for sharing your views.😊

I am not sure but ppl who commented on Faryal's interview said that she was hiting at ARY Digital.😲 I know Faryal did few shows with them in her initial days. She talked about the period in her life where she started losing weight, so maybe it is ARY. Coz now she is mostly working with HUM.🤓

I agree such things can happen in different industries, but showbiz is the most affected by it, not just because of the beauty, but also coz most of the ppl who work in it don't need qualifications to get a break in showbiz , so they are asked to compromise on their self respect to get work.😔 Not just women but even men face such things.😲 I've found an old post where an actor named Majid spoke about his experience. Ahmad Ali Akbar too confirmed it.🤓

Hmm. The ary dramas during tht time were depressing n dark. Maybe that bled into real life too. If tht is so, it would be very sad.

You do drive a good point abt qualifications. I hadn’t thought of tht. Definitely some of the directors n hire ups of the past probably didn’t have proper education or grew up in a male is boss family. Where females are looked down upon as an item for a man. 

I personally think men don’t face it as commonly as females. Obviously men also have there challenges but challenges of this variety is less common. Like for example, furqan qureshi said in an interview the issues he faced coming up weren’t of this variety as much, instead no casting director or anybody important in the channel would talk to him properly. He said they talked to girls more than guys cause the girl would be at least a face to look at while he is a guy n wat r they going to look at. They would call him in weird places like barber shops n make him do small skits/demo n make him do it so they could make fun of him infront of their friends. I personally have seen this. Guys in power r more vulgar in making fun of guys lower than them in power. In contrast they are usually nicer to girls in the same position. Obviously when bad hire ups, come girls face much worse. I think both face big issues but in this case, girls face a much much bigger problem.

Entertainment industry is very ruthless. Not to mention like most of the art related career, opinions about the performance here is always subjective. The limited time (within 5-10yrs) to establish yourself when the actor's age is what is called prime age..The pressure is immense. Everyone in this industry is replaceable, no one is immune to the fickle nature of this industry. The ones in power exploit in the name of opportunities, exposure, m9ney, relevance and most importantly "conditioning". Newcomers may initially refuse to sleep around but once you have done it a few times, you're conditioned to look at it like a part of job. Senior actors, who don't have to , but still oblige and indulge in these activities, due to financial or physical insecurities may not feel much about this. And in reverse, they now may not feel the remorse in askung similar favors from the Newcomers. 

It is a vicious circle... Humne kiya toh tumhe karne mein itni problem kyun. 

The problem with any career which cannot be measured with an equal yardstick, is that there will always be someone who gets unfair treatment. A surgeon's success can be measured looking at the surgeries he has done. A cricketers' worth based on his runs. But how do you measure an actor's worth. One with skills may not be popular, one that is popular may not be the best actor. When there is no concrete way to assert and prove your skills, one is dependent on others like directors or channels or producers or award functions or media etc who are at a higher position of power. As a society, as an industry, with power comes a certain amout of security and shield, the knowledge that you can get away with a lot of shit. 

So in country with millions of aspirants, where a newcomer is as disposable as a plastic spoon, those who put their foot down wont survive for long. You have to act blind, ignore, act silly or whatever it takes to get you to the START line. Because you can outrun other runners only if you make it to the race. But beware, there is no guarantee that the race is going to be fair either. 

Casting couch - Ugly truth of the entertainment business across the globe. I don't see it going away anytime soon but i hope some day those who are now in an established position are brave enough call out the sleazeballs. They will have my respect for doing that, even if they accept they did compromise initially in their careers. But see how none of them want to ruffle any feathers and pretend that "hamari industry mein casting couch nahi hota", "mere saath kabhi nahi hua." 

I have nothing much to say about it. 

Out of 100 actresses 10 are those who claimed of CC. If its true than its bad. I hope Entertainment industry get clean and get rid of such disaster thing. 

So are you saying only 10 out of 100 actresses faced CC? Or are u saying only 10 were brave to speak up.?

You are right , and dramas should highlight this issue too. In Udaan they touched this topic, and in few other dramas they showed bosses who asked favours from girls to give them jobs.. like in GPM. 

See this is from an actress fb page. Her name is Nida Malik , she shared her story and this is what PR told her to do to get a role:

2nd option most probably and unfortunately. 

Most of the actress even actors have to socialize (partying) with  producers, directors and writers to get roles. 

When Me Too movement started in India I was waiting for big names to be accused.. like A list actors , producers and directors.. but only few chose to talk about it.. and A listers weren't  touched by it.🤓 It is very tough to call a spade a spade in this industry.. most of ppl who accuse stars of something bad, become targets of haterd from fans, and even boycotted by the industry.