'Luv Ranjan asked me to strip during my first look test'

The MeToo movement continues to expose Bollywoods underbelly of sexual misconduct Speaking out now is an actor who was allegedly asked in 2010 by Pyaar ka Punchnama director Luv Ranjan to strip down to her underwear during an audition for the movie Shed left the audition after mentioning she wasnt comfortable doing soBut another uncomfortable conversation with Ranjan followed where he asked her if she masturbates She ended up pulling out of the film a decision that was met with several messages from Ranjan telling her shed misunderstood him The actor has now come out with her story in middayThe actor saysIT was 2010 I was 24 and had done two small roles in big movies opposite wellknown actors and was in the auditioning phase I was called by Vicky Sidana a casting director who said that the auditions for Pyaar Ka Punchnama were on and a very short list of girls had been called for them I trusted him and hence went for it The dress code was a short skirt and a tight top which was fairly common and wasnt a problem with me There were seven to eight girls there and the strange part was that they didnt give us dialogues as they would usually ask you to enact the scene This was supposedly only a look testA still from Pyaar Ka Punchnama which was directed by RanjanBikini testI was at Kumar Mangats office and Abhishek Pathak his son was the producer Im not sure whether or not he was present that day because I didnt see him or interact with him The director Luv Ranjan and the cinematographer were sitting in a room and calling the girls in one by one The girl who went in before me came out with an ashen look and seemed uncomfortable She hurriedly left Then I went in The room was properly lit for an audition and there was a proper camera set up etc They asked me to give an introduction which was totally normal totally legitimateThen Luv Ranjan said there was a kissing scene and bikini scene in the movie and asked if I was fine with that to which I said yes He said he wanted to see what Id look like in a bikini Later in life when I gave another audition for a movie there was a female stylist who gave me a bikini to do a look test in the presence of lots of peopleLuv asked me to strip down to my bra and panties He said he wanted to see my body so he could check if I needed to lose weight He said they were not recording anything and the cinematographer would also leave the room so I neednt worry After that it all gets blurry My heart was pounding and I rushed out saying I had to leave and wasnt comfortable with it I went home and tried to forget about itIt felt strangeThis felt strange I didnt even know if this was part of the protocol because I wasnt from the industry but I just knew that it didnt feel right The people I had worked with prior to this had been absolute gems totally respectful and professional I didnt mention this to anyone at that point Within a day or two I got a call from Vicky saying Id been finalised for the role I was happy so I said lets forget this and go do the movie I met Kumar Mangat and Abhishek and all three male leads were there tooThey spoke about the contract and other details I went into the cabin where the three boys and Luv were there They were making me try on anose ring for my character I asked for a script at the time to which Luv said If a script decided the fate of a film then even Amitabh Bachchan would have never given a flop What will you understand from a script I will make you look hot you will have songs Ill make you a starWhen I kept asking he gave a weak narration of the film I kept thinking about he hasnt even seen me act He said all that will be taken care of in workshops and there was one at 7 pm at Abhisheks house When I went there the three male leads Abhishek his dog Vicky an acting coach one male AD and Luv were there Abhishek left soon after The boys had scripts in their hand and were rehearsing with the acting coach in the hall Luv said The guys have a scene today so well just talkAre you a virginWe went into another room because he said it would be noisy in the living room where we were rehearsing I kept waiting for someone to come with us and wondered why I was here if I wasnt in the workshop He said a director and his actor need to be friendsYou need to draw from your experiences and when you cant I need to know you so well that I can help you said Luv He asked me about my schooling and family so I relaxed Then he asked me if I had a boyfriend to which I said yes Then he asked Are you a virgin I was shocked He said Arrey we can talk like this were adultsThen he asked me if I used condoms The last straw was him asking me if I masturbate By then I was scared and asked if I could leave He said I shouldnt misunderstand him and called the three guys into the room and asked them Do you trust me enough as a director that if I were to ask you to drop your pants you wouldThey all said yes I dont blame them They were also young and wanted to make it in the industry and had no idea in what context theyd been called in and asked this question He then asked them to go back to the rehearsals He told me to relax and that it wasnt because I was a girl thats how it worked I still said I needed to go as my parents would worry and left I went and sat in my car and started shaking and crying Id escapedSaid Id liedI called my manager and said I didnt want to do this She said I didnt have to as this was not normal and that theyd take care of this and I dont have to interact with these people again When my manger told Vicky he said Id lied and that he was present and nothing had happened So she told him about others girls whod gone from the agency for the first look test also reporting about being asked inappropriate questions thereThen Luv started calling me and messaging me to let me know that Id misunderstood him and that this was his process I told him I didnt want to make a big deal I just didnt want to do the movie and he could find someone who would understand his process Then Abhishek called me and wanted to know why I wasnt doing the movie When I told him about what happened he said If you do such things youll not get movies Youre being unprofessional Youll be stuck doing small roles As for Luv he kept sending me messages for about a month saying Id misunderstood him but he never apologisedHad to be cordialLater I got the lead role in a big successful movie and felt validated I met Luv at an interview where wed been invited to talk about adult certification We had to be cordial he congratulated me on the success of my movie Thats the last time I saw himLater I got married and moved abroad The last few days Ive been searching his name online again and again to see if someone has spoken out against him I was waiting for someone to so I could say me too But then I decided to take the lead I heard hes doing his next movie with a really big actor and that irked me This shouldnt happen as I know many other girls have gone through this for sure especially during that first look testIt stayed with me after all these years and even when I told people about it they said The casting couch is a reality in the industry You just have to learn to live with it and toughen up He didnt rape you na you got away na They question your story and thats why it takes so long to talk about it I hope people come out with their own stories about this manLuv Ranjan saysWhen midday reached out to Ranjan regarding the allegations he said Its absurd Its so absurd that I dont know what to say except that I deny it I dont know how to react to an anonymous allegation beyond this and am willing to face any legitimate enquiryAlso ReadMeToo movement Sona Mohapatra accuses Kailash Kher of sexual misconductCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates