In a shocking revelation, South Indian actress Padmapriya has said that most actresses are victims of casting couch even in Malayalam cinema. The actress said that even senior actors face the issue.
"Most of them won't respond fearing to lose their image or chance. It is not only young or aspiring actors who face such issues. Several senior actors also have to become victims for ensuring their position in the film industry," Padmapriya said.
In an interview given to a film magazine, the actress said that it is prevalent in shooting locations. Some would make vulgar comments while others would touch you as if it was an accident. If you question them, they would just apologise, and the victims will have to keep silence by just accepting their sorry. It is a common thing in film sets, she said.
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Padmapriya says that actresses often get filthy messages. She revealed that it is considered offensive for actresses to complain about non-payment.
Female artists often agree to the demands of director and producer for getting a leading role. Those who resist such attempts are thrown out of the film itself.
However, it cannot be said that one can remain in the field forever by such acts. Though men consider casting couch as an everyday thing, the new generation in the cinema are against such practices, the actress said.
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Padmapriya further revealed that she had lost several chances as she was not ready to agree to the demands made by men in the film industry.