Richa Chadha on casting couch: Man insisted on having 'dinner' with me

Beautiful sets, good-looking actors, gripping stories, intense performances, song and dance, and more have contributed to the film industry becoming a dream for many not just in India, but also for those abroad. However, it’s not all hunky-dory as it seems, and there are several evils in B-Town too. While some like the #Metoo movement gained prominence last year, the casting couch has existed in Bollywood for several decades now. The act of newcomers being propositioned for sexual favours in return for work has not shown any considerable decline. Richa Chadha, too faced this, when a man was insistent she has ‘dinner’ with him, despite her uncle being in the same. The actor also revealed that this didn’t stop even after she became famous, and that she lost projects due to it too. 

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In a recent interview with an entertainment portal, Richa Chadha shared an anecdote from the times she had faced the casting couch. The actor revealed that initially, she did not understand that some of them were making insinuations. One of them was when a man came to her at a gathering, when her uncle was also present at the venue, and said 'we should have dinner'. Richa said she was ‘young and stupid’ then, and she told him that she had already eaten. When he insisted, the Gangs of Wasseypur then stated that she had eaten, specifically mentioning dal, dahi, roti, etc. When he said it again, she even told him that she had eaten aachar and papad too, basically everything on the menu. The man then suggestively stroked her arms and once again said, “We should have dinner,” Richa shared, adding that she just ran to her uncle from there. 

READ: Section 375: Actor Richa Chadha On Strong, Content-driven Films

The 32-year-old stated that not much has changed even after she established herself in the industry. The actor said that despite the #MeToo movement, an actor at a bigger position, making advances, is a common situation, that actors like her have to ‘navigate’ on a regular basis. However, she feels that’s not how it should be. She added that she has managed to ‘bypass’ it now, even losing out on projects in the meanwhile. 

Professional front

Meanwhile, on the professional front, Richa Chadha featured in Section 375 earlier this year. She played a lawyer in the movie, directed by Ajay Bahl. The courtroom thriller, also starring Akshaye Khanna, was praised unanimously by the critics. 

READ: Section 375 Promotions: Richa Chadha Gives Out Major Fashion Goals

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