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Isha Koppikar breaks silence on casting couch experience at 18; reveals one A-lister actor wanted to meet her alone
Isha Koppikar had a candid discussion about the casting couch experience during her early days in the industry. The actress was last seen in the Tamil film Ayalaan.
Trigger Warning: This article contains references to sexual abuse.
Isha Koppikar is a well-known actress in the industry. Making her Hindi film debut with Fiza, she also did several South films. In a new interview, the actress opened up about her casting couch experience and added that she was only 18 years old when a secretary and an actor approached her for it.
'I am very friendly, but what does ‘friendly’ mean?' asks Isha Koppikar
During an interview with Siddharth Kannan, Isha Koppikar opened up about her casting couch experience in the industry. She was asked if she ever tried to request meaty roles from producers after being typecast following her item numbers.
She responded that it was never about what you can do as heroes and actors used to decide. Isha added that many actresses left the industry during her time and there are very few who are still in the industry and haven’t given up, and she is one of them.
Recalling her casting couch experience at the age of 18, she said, “I was 18 when a secretary and an actor approached me for casting couch. They told me that to get work, you have to be friendly with actors. I am very friendly, but what does friendly mean? I am so friendly that Ekta Kapoor once told me to have some attitude.”
Isha Koppikar recounts when an A-list actor asked her to meet him alone
During the same interview, the 47-year-old actress revealed that when she was 23, one A-list actor from the Hindi film industry asked her to meet him alone, without his driver or anyone else, because there were rumors about him being involved with other actresses.
She recalled that actor's words and added, "He said, ‘There are already controversies about me, and the staff spreads rumors.’" But Isha refused and told him that she couldn’t come alone.
Not only this but also she recalled times when secretaries of actors and directors would touch her inappropriately. Koppikar added that they would squeeze her arm and say that she needed to be friends with actors.
Disclaimer: If you need support or know someone who is struggling with domestic violence or assault or abuse, please reach out to your nearest mental health specialist, NGO or speak to someone about it. There are several helplines available for the same.
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