Isha Koppikar confesses to facing the casting couch at 18 years, says, “An A-list actor asked me to meet him alone”

Actress Isha Koppikar – who made her Bollywood debut in the 2000 film Fiza after starring in several Tamil, Telugu and Kannada films, is opening up about her experiences in the different film industries she’s been a part of. During a recent interaction, Isha – who has been in films such as Darna Mana Hai, Pinjar, Krishna Cottage, and Don, recalled a horrific casting couch experience at the age of 18 and another experience with a A-list Bollywood actor a couple of years later.

Isha Koppikar on casting couch experience

In a recent interaction with Siddharth Kannan on his YouTube channel, Isha Koppikar got teary-eyed while discussing her not-so-pleasant experiences in the industry. Revealing facing the casting couch during her early days in Bollywood, the actress said, “It was never about what you can do. Heroes and actors used to decide. You have heard about #MeToo, and if you had values, it was very difficult. Many actresses left the industry during my time. Either the girls gave in or they gave up. There are very few who are still in the industry and haven’t given up, and I am one of them.”

The actress continued, “I was 18 when a secretary and an actor approached me for a 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.”

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Isha: An actor asked me to meet him alone

During the same interaction, Isha Koppikar also spoke about an A-list actor asking her to meet him alone. She recalled, “When I was 23, one actor asked me to meet him alone, without my driver or anyone else, because there were rumours about him being involved with other actresses. He said, ‘There are already controversies about me, and the staff spreads rumours.’ But I refused and told him that I couldn’t come alone. He was an A-list actor from the Hindi film industry.”

She further noted there were times when secretaries of actors and directors would touch her ‘inappropriately.’ She said, “They wouldn’t just come and touch you inappropriately; they would squeeze your arm and say, ‘Heroes ke sath bahut dosti karni padegi (You will have to be very friendly with the actors),’ in a sleazy way.”

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Also Read: Juhi Parmar recalls facing casting couch before turning 18, says, “Was asked to wear bikini”