Bollywood's casting couch exposed: Sex today, film role tomorrow

Bare some flesh to land a meaty role this clandestine arrangement between casting agents and aspiring actors is one of Bollywoodrsquos worstkept secretsTrading of sexual favours by an applicant apprentice or subordinate to a superior or prospective employer in return for entry into an occupation or for career advancement is a malady existent in every domain But therersquos a reason the term lsquocasting couchrsquo originated in the motion picture industryOnce we had decided to expose the corrupt casting coordinators of Btown our first big task was to find the ones who would buy our story and try to help us land that big break in Bollywood The stumbling block was that most of the agents we called wanted us to send our photographs and would then meet us if they saw it fitIt was taxing to convince them to get together without the required pictures lsquoseminudersquo as one of the coordinators put it bluntly another asked for a lsquobikini picrsquo We decided to play the damsels in distress and cajoled them to meet us to suggest the kind of photos that we must send outThis trick worked and we got seven of them to rendezvous Incidentally the first person Piyush whom one of the reporters contacted had the latterrsquos number stored in his phone identifying her as a journalist working with this paper The perils of technologyCasting agent Vijay RawalAfter a conversation over the phone Vijay Rawal agreed to meet around 3 pm at Bhaidas Hall Vile Parle Rawal is considered to be a popular coordinator among aspiring TV actorsVijay RawalSoon after one of the reporters entered the auditorium he hurriedly beckoned her to follow him towards the back entry to the stage In the corridor were some green rooms and Vijay ushered her into one The reporter noticed that there were some girls sitting around already Vijay referred to each of them as lsquobabyrsquoMinutes later the reporter was taken to another empty room and Rawal sat really close to her The reporter introduced herself as Neha Sharma from GwaliorThe first thing that Vijay told her was ldquoYou do know that if you want to get into acting you will have to make compromises If you do that you will have a bright futurerdquo Then he went on to counsel the reporter to dress in lsquosexyrsquo clothes which reveal her vital statsldquoYour body is gifted by God but you still need to wear sexy clothes when you come to meet me You have to make money first before getting into actingrdquo were his wordsThen he went on to suggest the size of the bra the reporter should be wearing ldquoEven if you are only 30 per cent up to the mark in auditions the remaining 70 per cent will be taken care of if you compromise Just spread your legs and see how things happenrdquo he preachedAfter that Vijay went on to boast about his friends who like to splurge on women ldquoSome of them have enough money to send flight tickets for you to go wherever they are if you are interestedrdquo he bragged Then he said that he wouldnrsquot mind spending a bit on sexy lingerie for the reporterBy this time he had clearly forgotten about the matter of film offers and was only concentrating on telling the reporter how she should be servicing his clients When the reporter asked about the kind of money one can make through these lsquocompromisesrsquo he said it ranged from Rs 15000 to Rs 40000He quickly added that he charges 15 per cent commission but with her he could make an exception if she let him lsquoenjoyrsquo herWhen the reporter insisted on information about acting offers his parting shot was ldquoWe get clients regularly so donrsquot worry we will make enough money Acting will also happen laterrdquo That night he called up the reporter and asked her if she was free the next day as he had already spoken to some clients and they wanted to see her picturesThe reporter met him again the following day at a coffee shop in Andheri He told her that he already had clients lined up for her and that she should start working the next day No films or filmmakers were mentionedCasting gent MayoorMayoor who is also an assistant director said that he recommends new girls and boys whenever they approach him for work The reporter met him at Cafeacute Coffee Day at Fun Republic around 430 pm When the reporter mentioned her apprehensions he patiently explained to her ldquoDonrsquot be tenseMayoorI am not that type of a person If you can act then you donrsquot have to think about it There are three stages of casting if you come to me I will suggest your name to my friend who will further recommend your name after an audition Then in the second audition if I know the director I will push and tell him that you are suitable for the role Finally if the director is agreeable he will help you clear the last auditionrdquoWhen asked about compromises one should expect he said ldquoI am not saying it doesnrsquot happen It does but it completely depends on you If you are willing to do it then nobody is going to stop you because you are a mature person I am nobody to say that this is right or wrong I have met girls who were ready for it and I told them that they could go ahead and try their luckSome of them slept around with directors and got work but some didnrsquot However I have met some girls who came back to me saying a certain person was asking for favours I told them that I would handle it and if the next time they came across such a person then they just have to say that Mayoor will let them know and walk out of the audition I am here to work and not put my mind into all this I donrsquot make any propositions like thatrdquoCasting agent JoeWhen we called Joe he came across as a professional and insisted that the reporter send her portfolio pictures before he met her When the reporter asked if she would have to compromise to get roles he snapped back saying ldquoWho told you all this rubbish Such things donrsquot happen it is all nonsense You just have to send me photographs and if I have a requirement I will let you knowrdquoCasting agent Advin MasseyAdvin first called the reporter to his office in Lokhandwala but then later agreed to have a cuppa at a coffee shop Initially he was not prepared to meet without seeing any photographs but later relentedAdvin MasseySoon after meeting Advin told this reporter ldquoSab tarah ka kaam hota hai yahaan pe Send me your pictures first and then I can take things forward Also are you OK with compromising because not everywhere but at some places we get such queries So I need to knowrdquoWhen the reporter asked him who were the people who asked for compromises he said ldquoI take care of television and shoots So there are times when assistant directors or creative directors ask this If you are ready to sleep with them they might consider you For instance if four girls have auditioned for one role you will have the upper hand if you compromise and it helpsrdquoHe showed the reporter photographs of a few girls in bikinis and said ldquoGo home wear a bikini click a picture and send it to me Itrsquos simple and I have a shoot coming up on March 1 Let me see you do that bikini shoot Also send me your vital statsrdquo were his clear instructionsCasting agent Mukesh ThakurMukesh sounded courteous over the phone and asked the reporter why she wanted to get into actingMukesh ThakurWhen the reporter told him that she hadnrsquot done any auditions and was only meeting people he said with what seemed like genuine concern ldquoYou seem to be from a good familyDonrsquot get lost in all this Trust yourself and meet the right people Our job is to cast later what happens between you and the director or the producer is not our concernrdquoCasting agent Shama KhanThe reporter spoke to her over the phone and Shama made no bones about what she was expecting ldquoI hope you understand how things work in this industry and you know what I mean right I need to give you tips on how to deal with clients I will send you to my friends and you have to take things forward from there You know what will make them happyrdquo