I stopped getting good offers after I berated a Tamil producer for harassment: Sruthi Hariharan

Humble Politician Nograj actor Sruthi Hariharan recently opened up about her trysts with the casting couch and harassment at a media conclave.

Sruthi Hariharan also admitted that she has not received many good offers in Tamil since the incident as word got around that she was a difficult person to work with.

Sruthi Hariharan, who was part of the recent Kannada hit Humble Politician Nograj, recently opened up about her casting couch experience, where a producer once threatened to ‘exchange’ her with five other men. The actor, who was speaking at the India Today conclave as a part of a panel on ‘Sexism in Cinema’, said, “One of the leading producers in Tamil Cinema bought the rights to my Kannada film and offered me the same role in the Tamil remake. He said, and I’m quoting him verbatim, ‘we are five producers and we will exchange you however we want. I retorted by saying that I carry a slipper with me in my hand’”.

The actor also admitted that she has not received many good offers in Tamil since the incident as word got around that she was a difficult person to work with. “Many producers who knew this man asked me if I actually said what I said. Since then, I have not received good projects from Tamil.”

However, it wasn’t her first brush with the casting couch. Sruthi also opened up about her first tryst with the ugly side of cinema, which began when she was just eighteen years old. “I have had a casting couch (harassment) experience when I was 18 and on my first Kannada film. It did leave me so scared and petrified that I remember me crying. When I told my dance choreographer about what happened, he told me that if I didn’t know how to handle this, I should leave,” she said.

Film editor Bina Paul and actor Pranitha were also part of the panel. While Bina spoke about the need for women to enter the industry and the adherence to Vishaka guidelines, Pranitha insisted on the need for a safe complainant system.

This is going to be long . But below is my stand on what transpired at the #SouthConclave18 last evening. #TimesUp . Just for the record a lot of inspiring women have come forward to speak their truth .
Huge respect to all of them . pic.twitter.com/DHT8tVJDOD

— sruthihariharan (@sruthihariharan) January 19, 2018

In a statement later, Sruthi has also explained how solidarity in refusing such advances and ‘opportunities’ is the only way out. She further adds that there are several others who make the industry a wonderful place to work in. She also added that it is not only about the couch but anything sexist or derogatory.

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