Salman Khan feels taking advantage of someone with a promise to give work is disgusting, and says if he comes across any such person, he takes the person to the “cleaners”.
The actor addressed the issue at a forum which he was attending as a speaker.
Asked about the existence of the casting couch in the Hindi film industry, the actor said: “No one has come and confirmed it. I have been there for the longest time, my father has been here [for] more [time] than me. Till today I have not heard anyone come and say it straight out.”
“Now, being a beautiful woman or a man, someone or the other is going to flirt with you,” the actor said, adding that it is different from harassment.
The 52-year-old actor continued: “If someone is there with a principle that you have to sleep with them to get a job, then it is the most disgusting thing ever. I have not heard anything like this. If a lady or a man comes up to me and tells me that something of the sort has happened with them, I will take them down to the cleaners.”
The entertainment industry — be it Hollywood or Bollywood — is having a moment of reckoning in the wake of sexual abuse reports coming in from all quarters. It started with numerous women coming forward to allege that Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein used his position of power to harass them. Since then, many have come out in the open to talk about sexual advances from big names like Kevin Spacey, James Toback, Brett Ratner and Dustin Hoffman.
Over the years, Khan has also had several run ins with the law, facing multiple court cases, including a vehicular hit-and-run incident that caused the death of one person. Khan stated that he does indeed get bothered by the accusations.
“I have to smile, go to interviews, romance on-screen even if I am worried about my court cases,” he revealed.
Talking about his public image, Khan said: “For the last 30 years, I am told I am misunderstood. How can someone be misunderstood for decades.
“The kind of life I have led is the kind everyone has led. I have been working 24 hours, seven days a week. The rest you hear is because people are running their own shows... It’s a hardworking life I have led. I still live in a one-bedroom apartment. My parents also believe that I must have said something wrong, until they watch the clip.”
When quizzed about the nepotism issue that sees Bollywood stand accused for promoting star kids, Khan said he didn’t even know the term before actress Kangana Ranaut brought it up.
