Isha Koppikar Recalls Her Casting Couch Experience At 18: ‘They Told Me To Be Friendly’
Bollywood and south actor Isha Koppikar has recently opened up about her “casting couch” experience when she was 18. Read on.
Actress Isha Koppikar’s contribution to the entertainment industry is noteworthy. Having been a part of various films, Isha rose to popularity with her portrayal as the ‘Khallas Girl’ in Ram Gopal Varma’s Company. Recently, she sat down for a heartfelt chat with YouTuber Siddharth Kannan. The actress opened up about her “casting couch” experience when she was 18 and the actor asked to make a “compromise” in exchange for a role in a film.
Isha 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.”
When she was 23, the actor asked her to meet him alone, without her driver or any staff, citing rumours about his involvement with other actresses. He told her, “There are already controversies about me, and the staff spreads rumours.” Isha refused, saying she couldn’t come alone.
Isha Koppikar said in the same interview that actresses left the industry during her time. She even said that many of them even gave up and others who were in the industry, had given up.
Isha has been very open about her personal and professional experiences. Two years ago, she discussed her encounter with the casting couch in an interview with the Indian Express. She recounted how the hero asked her to meet him alone, as he was facing accusations of infidelity and wanted to avoid staff gossip. Isha emphasised to the producer that her talent and looks should be enough to get her good work, and she refused to compromise her integrity.
On the work front, Isha Koppikar began her career as a model in the ’90s and won the Miss Talent Crown at the Miss India beauty pageant in 1995. She has worked in numerous Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Marathi films. Some of her notable Bollywood hits include Pyaar Ishq Aur Mohabbat, Hum Tum, Don, Darling, and 36 China Town. Next, Isha will appear in the Tamil film Ayalaan.
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