New Delhi: Veteran Congress leader Renuka Chowdhary on Tuesday said the “casting couch culture” was a grim reality not just restricted to the film industry, and that Parliament, too, was affected by it.
“It is not just in the film industry. It happens everywhere and is the bitter truth. Don’t imagine that Parliament or other workplaces are immune to it,” Chowdhary said.
Borrowing a dialogue from Hindi film classic ‘Sholay’, Chowdhary said women feared going out and reporting rape to the police.
“No woman goes out these days. These days when girls go out and are raped, they are asked at the police station ‘kitne aadmi they’ [how many men were there],” she said.
Chowdhary was responding to ace Bollywood choreographer Saroj Khan’s statement justifying casting couch in the film industry.
Khan said casting couch culture was a way of “livelihood” in the film industry.
“Why are you targeting the film industry? At least, it gives you work and does not abandon you,” Khan, a three-time National Award winner, said on Tuesday.
She said that everyone wants to take advantage of girls everywhere, not just in the film industry.
“This is not a new thing, this has existed for a long time. Everyone wants to take advantage of girls, even in the government,” she stated.
She, however, added that casting couch was founded on the principle of mutual consent.
“The artistes have a choice and that they can choose not to work with someone who has asked for favours. ‘Why would you sell yourself if you have the talent,” Khan said.
Khan later apologised for her comment.
