Dangal actress sparks controversy with casting couch in South films, producers react

Hyderabad: Bollywood blockbuster Dangal-fame actress Fatima Sana Shaikh has sparked a controversy with her candid comments on casting couch in South films.

A video clip of the Aamir Khan-starrer Dangal actress has gone viral. In the video, the actress is shown sharing her experience in a South Indian film, and how she felt uncomfortable with the repeated ‘provocative’ words of a casting agent.
In her interview to Bollywood bubble, Fatima said the incident happened in Hyderabad before she acted in Dangal movie. The actress said she received a call from a casting agent who told her that she will have to do ‘everything’ but did not specify it.

“I will work hard and do whatever is required for the role,” Fatima replied.

“He kept asking repeatedly, but I played dumb because I wanted to see how low he would get. I got irritated and wanted to see whether he would speak (clearly) or not. Then he too got irritated and left,” she added.

She further said that the producers did not say it openly but dropped enough hints by saying things like, “You have to meet people.”

Meanwhile, the Tollywood producers Muthyala Ramdas and Natti Kumar have strongly reacted to the comments made by Fatima, who has earlier acted in the Telugu film “Nuvvu Nenu Okatavudaam.”

Ramdas dismissed the ‘casting couch’ in Tollywood remark as a false propaganda against the film industry. He found fault with the Dangal actress' remark and said we have a proper mechanism in place to address such issues and ensure that women in the industry do not face trouble.

Another producer Natti Kumar described it as an attempt to tarnish the reputation of the Telugu film industry. He said that the actress should have filed the complaint against the producer before making comments in public.