Bigg Boss 7 Tamil: Vichitra QUIT film due to sexual harassment, says, "Top hero asked me to come to his room"
On Bigg Boss Tamil 7, yesteryear actress Vichitra remembered her experience with the casting couch that made her quit cinema 20 years ago. This abuse she had to face during a film shoot in Kerala by a famous hero.
FollowOn the latest Bigg Boss 7 Tamil episode, veteran actor Vichitra reflected on her career and discussed her experience on the casting couch. She had given up performing about two decades before. She also mentioned that, after registering a complaint with the union, no action was taken against the culprits. She also implied that it happened on a movie set.
Vichitra revealed that she left performing in 2000 when a lead actor and the film crewmen misbehaved with her. “There was a party, where I met a very famous hero. He didn’t even ask my name, and asked me to come to his room. I was shocked because I didn’t understand what kind of gesture that was. I went back to my room and slept, but I began facing issues during the shoot. I’ve never faced such issues in Tamil cinema,” she shared.
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Vichitra claimed that they were shooting outdoors one day in a dense area where a commotion occurred. “I felt someone touching me inappropriately and at first I thought it was a mistake,” she said, adding, “When I caught the guy and took him to the stunt master, he slapped me in front of the entire unit. It left me with bruises. I couldn’t tell my parents, so I told my friend who encouraged me to complain to the union.” She added.
The yesteryear actress added that the situation got worse. “My husband was the manager of the 3-star hotel we were staying at. Him and his team did their best to keep me safe and would change my rooms every day. I still remember the banging noise and how scared I felt back then. My husband wasn’t even my friend then, he did it out of kindness,” she said.
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She added, “The incident was talked about in newspapers back then,” and claimed, “It was an ugly procedure and I met lawyers. No one came to the court hearings and my wounds had healed by then. The head of the union asked me to forget everything and get back to work. I thought my career was over but my husband questioned why I even wanted to work in an industry that didn’t respect me. He was the only one who stood by me through the court ordeal.”
Internet users assume it is a Telugu film.
When Vichitra returned home, she told the union about the occurrences, and they inquired why she hadn't approached the police. “The incident was talked about in newspapers back then,” she claims, adding, “It was an ugly procedure and I met lawyers. No one came to the court hearings and my wounds had healed by then. The head of the union asked me to forget everything and get back to work. I thought my career was over but my husband questioned why I even wanted to work in an industry that didn’t respect me. He was the only one who stood by me through the court ordeal.”
While Vichitra did not identify the language of the film she was working for, based on her description of the events, many feel she is referring to Balakrishna's Telugu flick Bhalevadivi Basu. Some even discovered footage of the moment they believe she was referring to.
Vichitra finished by adding that any crime committed against women must be dealt with swiftly. Previously, Vichitra requested fellow candidate Akshaya to report similar situations as soon as possible, which became controversial.
