Mandira Bedi Believes Casting Couch is a Two-Way Street

Actor Mandira Bedi spoke on the tabooed topic of casting couch in an interview recently. According to the actor who has been a part of the industry for 23 years now, “You can’t put the blame squarely on one person. Casting couch is not just about one person who says, ‘come and compromise’. The other person is also willing to compromise. It’s always a two-way street. People are willing to do whatever it takes to get to where they want to.”

Sexual Harassment and Casting Couch are two different issues

What Bedi says holds valid. Sadly, her statement might get taken out of context. Many people might attack her for trivialising harassment.

Casting Couch and sexual harassment are two different arcs which overlap in certain incidences or situation.

When a casting director calls on an artist, on the pretext of offering work and tries to molest him or her against the person’s will, then it is definitely harassment.

But we also have to remember, that for every unsuspecting actor, who feels objectified by the suggestion of sexual favours, there is that one person who does accept the offer. In fact, it is also possible that this two-way street opened first at the artist’s end. There are many men and women for whom sex is a mere stepping stone to achieve their dreams of stardom. So when one person willingly lies on that couch, the predators, start fishing for others.

Is the industry using casting couch as a shield to deflect questions on sexual harassment?

Everyone keeps saying that a #MeToo movement is long overdue in our film and television industry. But seems like the Weinstein’s of Bollywood still wield a lot of power over everyone in the industry. There are rumours, hushed gossip and references in the third person. But this is where it ends. Even in this case, the targets are low-level casting directors and B and C grade producers.

     The elites in the industry want us to believe that such sleazy practices are restricted to the lower rung.

Unfortunately, the truth will only come out, when victims of the A-list find their voice and stand up. According to Bedi, “If something like that has happened to you, it’s your moral obligation to talk about it, especially with so many people speaking about it now.”

The survivor’s state of mind in such cases might not allow him or her to speak out. Many victims of abuse and harassment, keep mum throughout their lives, simply because recounting those incidences is too painful. But we desperately need a few brave souls who will unmask the powerful predators of the industry. Hopefully, these predators will run out of favour someday, and then the skeletons will tumble out of the industry’s top tier cupboard as well.

Also Read: Golden Globes moment eludes us, no unified voice in Bollywood says Dia Mirza

Yamini Pustake Bhalerao is a writer with the SheThePeople team, in the Opinions section.  The views expressed are the author’s own