SHOCKING! Swara Bhasker shares her casting couch experience and it’s awful

Swara Bhasker is one actress who has spoken her mind and most of the times gotten into trouble because of it. She has been trolled on social media, called names and some people have gone to the extent of telling people to boycott her movies. Recently, Swara, who was a guest at the Express Adda spoke about a number of topics including feminism and casting couch.

Bollywood celebs have most of the times refrained from giving their opinion on any controversial topic. Swara gives a fair justification for that. “I don’t think it’s a fair question to ask Bollywood actors that ‘oh, why don’t you speak up more’ because are we, as a society, ready to listen to people who have an opinion that is not in tandem with the dominant opinion? I don’t think we are. Look at what happened with Aamir Khan and that very innocuous remark he made about a dinner table conversation with his wife and the big controversy that happened. There are so many examples. The bigger the stars the more they are at stake. Why would a big star, with a family and all put themselves at risk to these completely seemingly unhinged people just for the sake of venting your opinion?”

Swara, who doesn’t see herself as a ‘Bollywood star’ also opened up on her casting couch experience. Sharing the episode, Swara said, “I haven’t gotten on the casting couch, I’d put that out right there. My case was kind of weird because I went to Mumbai and I was fully prepared that someone would come and tell me casting couch and tell me that I will have to sleep for this role so I had prepared a small lecture on feminism, sanskaar and all. It was almost 1 and a half years and nobody was asking me anything I was wondering am I so ugly that nobody is asking me? I then realised that people are trying. Nobody is going to say ‘excuse me, but you have to have sex for this role’ but there are lot of other hints that they are given but I am not taking.” (Also Read: Swara’s first public appearance with boyfriend Himanshu Sharma)

She also shares, “I remember meeting some guy who claimed he was the manager of a big producer. He kept on asking me about my residential details.” The conversation carried on for a bit around that topic and Swara was trying hard to escape that meeting. Swara then says, “When I got out this guy actually tried to kiss my ear and said ‘I love you baby’ and I kind of did that (gesturing to go back) so he got a mouthful of my hair. So that kind of stuff happens. It’s all a part of casting couch, right? I have had those experiences.”

Swara also shared her thoughts on feminism. She said, “Feminism is a thought that there should be equality among the genders. And equality not just of representation, but equality of opportunity and equality of accountability, which is something that not just women but a lot of communities in India have not had, whether it is caste, whether it is women. For me, feminism is about giving women choice. So if some women choose to be conservative or choose to deny themselves their own rights, what can I say? I think it is completely legitimate to ask those women that why do they want to tie themselves down?”

We wonder whether any of our other big Bollywood actresses ever open up about the topic? Till then, kuddos to Swara!