New Delhi: Bigg Boss 16 finalist Shiv Thakare has earned a solid fanbase – all thanks to his tryst with the reality TV shows including Roadies and Bigg Boss Marathi previously. In an interview with Hindustan Times, he opened up on facing the casting couch in the industry during his initial struggling days.
When asked about the incident, he told the publication, “I once went for an audition in Aram Nagar and he took me to the bathroom and said, ‘Yaha pe massage centre hai’. I didn’t get the connection between an audition and a massage centre. He told me, ‘Ek baar aap aao yaha audition ke baad. Aap workout bhi karte ho…’ I just left the place, since he was a casting director and I didn’t want to take any pangas. I am no Salman Khan. But I realised there is no discrimination between men and women when it comes to this (casting couch).”
Recalling another incident, Shiv Thakare said, “There was a ma’am in Four Bungalows. She would tell me ki, ‘Maine isko banaya hai, maine usko banaya hai’. She was calling me for an audition at 11 in the night. Itna bhola toh nahi hoon main ki I won’t understand what auditions happen at night. So, I told her that I have some work and I cannot make it. To this, she said, ‘Kaam Nahi karna?’ ‘You won’t get work in the industry’ and other such things. So they would demotivate you and manipulate you. But I would never get bothered by it.”
“A lot of people have asked me for money, saying you give us money and we will get you good gigs. I just knew this basic thing that if I don’t fit in a character, no one can push me for a role,” he revealed.
Not just Shiv but several other celebrities including actor-politician Ravi Kishan, Ranveer Singh, Esha Gupta and Kishwer Merchantt to name a few have shared their horrifying experiences.
