Fatima Sana Shaikh recalls casting couch experience in South Indian film: ‘You will do everything, right?’

Fatima clarified that reputable casting directors don’t engage in such practices. She added, “Known casting directors won’t do that; only fraud people would. Of course Mukesh Chhabra and Anmol Ahuja don’t do that. But there are shady individuals who take advantage of young, struggling actors who are new to the city and don’t know much.”

Fatima also recalled a casting couch experience, particularly a call she received about being cast in a South Indian film. The casting agent made her feel uncomfortable. She said, “He asked me, ‘You will be ready to do everything, right?’ I told him that I will be working hard and will do what is required for the role, but he kept saying that and I played dumb because I wanted to see how low can he get.”

She also shared another unsettling experience when she was in Hyderabad, hopeful about securing a South film role that could serve as a stepping stone to Bollywood. However, she recalled how some “small producers” openly discussed the casting couch, though not directly. “We were in a room, and the producers would talk about it very openly, giving indications that you have to meet people. They wouldn’t say it outright, but it was clear what they meant. However, not everyone is like that,” she said.