Isha Koppikar Opens Up About Casting Couch Experience at 18: “They Told Me That To Get Work, You Have To Be…”
21.06.2024: Bollywood actress Isha Koppikar, known for her debut in “Fiza,” recently shared her troubling casting couch experience during her early days in the film industry. Reflecting on this incident, she revealed that at the age of 18, she was approached by a secretary and an actor who insinuated that to secure work, she had to be “friendly” with actors.
Isha recounted, “I was 18 when a secretary and an actor approached me for casting couch. They told me that to get work, you have to be ‘friendly’ with actors. I am very friendly, but what does ‘friendly’ mean? I am so friendly that Ekta Kapoor once told me to have some attitude.”
An Encounter with an A-List Actor
She also shared another unsettling experience when she was 23. An A-list actor asked her to meet him alone, excluding her driver and staff, due to rumors of his involvement with other actresses. Isha refused, maintaining her professional boundaries. “He was an A-list actor from the Hindi film industry,” she added.
Transparency About Her Experiences
Isha Koppikar has been candid about her experiences in the industry. In a previous interview with the Indian Express, she recalled calling a producer to assert that her talent and looks were sufficient for her to secure roles without compromising her principles.
Career Journey
Isha began her career as a model in the ’90s and gained recognition in the 1995 Miss India beauty pageant, winning the Miss Talent Crown. She has worked in various Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Marathi films. Some of her notable Bollywood hits include “Pyaar Ishq Aur Mohabbat,” “Hum Tum,” “Don,” “Darling,” and “36 China Town.” She is set to appear next in the Tamil film “Ayalaan.”