Casting Couches: Utterly Disgusting Institutionalized Forms of Entitlement

The emblematic casting couch with the oh so infamous backdrop of The Weinstein Company

Casting couches. Emblematic symbols that serve to remind aspiring actors and actresses of the toxic entitlement, greed, and sheer humiliation that they might be subject to experience and endure if they want to make it big in the industry. With the acceleration of the #MeToo movement, we have seen numerous key figures in the Hollywood film industry (most notably Harvey Weinstein and Louis C.K.) admit to numerous instances in which they engaged in sexual misconduct, finally shedding some much needed exposure into what’s going on behind the scenes. This exposure is gradually starting to pick up in various entertainment industries in India, with actresses such as Kangana Ranaut, Parvathy, Varalakshmi Sarathkumar, and Sri Reddy all claiming that they were subject to the casting couch. Why does the “casting couch” continue to be as pervasive and utterly screwed up as it is today, and is there really anything that can be done to reverse this baseless, degrading tradition?

Scouring through numerous articles and listening to interviews in which celebrities describe what they were subject to, it is clear that established directors, producers, and others with some degree of power in these industries are resorting to flipping the script with the difficult backgrounds and situations that these aspiring actors and actresses are coming from to get what they ultimately want. By informing those selected for a particular role that they are several others that would die to be in the positions that they are in and that this it’s common knowledge in the industry for individuals to complete these kinds of favors, the directors and producers are engaging in a vicious guilt-tripping mechanism that they hope will gaslight any moral ambiguities that the actors and actresses are harboring towards performing these actions. The fact that these powerful industry insiders are preying on the helplessness and desperation of these newly-casted people is truly horrifying and sickening; they are getting away with unregulated sexual trafficking. In Season 1 of Sacred Games, an established tv-serial actress must complete sexual favors at the request of her pimp producer; the tears streaming down her cheeks, the looks of sheer apprehension and fear knowing what awaits her, and knowing that she’s going to be experiencing this over and over again should make anyone furious and livid at what outsiders must do in order to get a shot at making a mark in these film industries.

It is extremely appreciative and bold for various actors and actresses who have been subject to the casting couch to vocalize their experiences so that the common person is exposed to the horrifying incidents that take place behind the scenes. Personally, I believe that newcomers should wear hidden cameras and/or recording devices that capture what directors and producers are instructing them to do. If there’s evidence of casting couch behavior, these individuals shouldn’t hesitate to make this information public in order to take down these barbaric a-holes. Furthermore, I’d like for some education-related measures to be implemented on a large scale in a variety of different settings that simply inform people about the beliefs, freedoms, and rights that a woman is entitled to. More on the representation of women in South Asian cinema in another post, but I want to ensure that current and especially future generations of individuals understand what the word “equality” truly represents in the context of affording women the same opportunities and liberties both in the entertainment industry and life in general that us men take for granted more often than we’d like to admit.