Aradhana Sharma who has appeared on Splitsvilla and the sitcom Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah, reveals her horrific casting couch encounter.
Casting couch is one of the harshest realities of showbiz. A host of Bollywood actors have spoken about its existence in the industry. While many have claimed to be aware of horrific casting couch stories, there are others who have confessed facing it themselves. Now, in a recent interview, Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah fame Aradhana Sharma has opened up on her casting couch experience and how it has affected her.
Aradhana said that a casting agent made inappropriate advances on her and that the experience was so scarring that she couldn’t tell anyone about it for days. Aradhana who hails from Ranchi revealed that the incident took place in her hometown and the casting agent tried to touch her. Also Read- Splitsvilla 10 Fame Anmol Chaudhary Opens Up On Being An Unmarried Single Mother: “My Parents Weren’t Aware”
Speaking to Times of India, Aradhana Sharma revealed her casting couch incident and said, “An incident did happen to me and I can never forget it in my entire life. It happened four-five years back. I was studying in Pune then. It happened in my home town Ranchi. There was a person, who was doing casting in Mumbai. I was doing modelling assignments in Pune and hence was a bit known. I went to Ranchi as he said he is casting for some role. We were doing script reading in a room and he was trying to touch me.”
The Splitsvilla 12 fame further added, “I couldn’t figure out what was happening. I just remember pushing him, opening the door and running away. I couldn’t share this to anyone for a few days. It was a love scene reading script. It was very bad.” Also Read-Rakhi Sawant Says She is Eagerly Waiting For Jasmin-Aly and Shehnaaz-Sidharth Wedding; Watch Video
When asked if the casting couch experience pushed her away from the profession, Aradhana Sharma said, “I started having trust issues. I can’t stay with a man in one room. I can’t even stay with my papa. This has happened with me. I was 19/20 years old then. I couldn’t let anyone touch me. I used to feel so bad. It was a very bad experience for me. My mother and I wanted to confront him but then our family members stopped.”
Aradhana even shared how she was body shamed by casting directors, she said, “We send our portfolios to various casting agencies and one of them was looking for a ‘pretty, beautiful lead’ role. So I told the casting agent to forward my portfolio and he said, ‘I have written here pretty but you are not pretty’. These were his words. He told me I don’t fit in ‘pretty and beautiful’ and will give roles which will fit me.
I was also called a ‘she-male’ because of my body. I am really into fitness and had learnt martial arts too. So people would say I look ‘mardaana’. I also get body-shamed a lot.”
