In a recent interview, Isha Koppikar opened up about her casting couch experience. She also revealed how an A-List actor had once asked her to meet him alone.
Isha Koppikar has been in the industry for more than two decades now. Throughout her career, the actor has seen hits and flops and has managed to have a dedicated fanbase who wait for her every film with bated breath. In a recent interview, the actor revealed that she had faced a casting couch experience in the industry when she was 18.
In a conversation with Siddharth Kannan, Isha Koppikar revealed that she had faced a casting couch experience during the early days of her career. She mentioned how many young actors succumb to the pressure and give in. However, she also mentioned that actors with ‘values’ have not given in and continue to thrive in the industry. She said, “It was never about what you can do. Heroes and actors used to decide. You have heard about #MeToo, and if you had values, it was very difficult. Many actresses left the industry during my time. Either the girls gave in or they gave up. There are very few who are still in the industry and haven’t given up, and I am one of them.”
Recalling her casting couch experience, she mentioned that she was approached by an actor and his secretary when she was 18. She did not take names. She recounted another incident when she was 23 and an A-List actor had asked her to meet him alone. She revealed, “When I was 23, one actor asked me to meet him alone, without my driver or anyone else, because there were rumours about him being involved with other actresses. He said, ‘There are already controversies about me, and the staff spreads rumours.’ But I refused and told him that I couldn’t come alone. He was an A-list actor from the Hindi film industry.”
Before making her debut with ‘Fiza’, Koppikar was seen in several Telugu, Tamil, and Kannada films. She has worked in popular Hindi films like ‘Krishna Cottage,’ ‘Hum Tum’, ‘Kyaa Kool Hai Hum’, and ‘Don’ to name a few. She was recently seen in ‘Ayalaan.’