They Told Me That To Get Work, You Have To Be…

Isha Koppikar shared this image. (Image courtesy: IshaKoppikar)

New Delhi:

Bollywood actress Isha Koppikar, who made her Hindi film debut with Fiza, opened up about her casting couch experience during her early days in the industry. Recalling a horrific casting couch experience at the age of 18, she said, “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.”

Isha Koppikar also recounted an instance when an A-list actor asked her to meet him alone. “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.”

Isha Koppikar has been extremely transparent about her personal and professional life. For instance, about two years ago, the star opened up about her experience with the casting couch. In an interview with Indian Express, she said, “I called up the hero, who asked me to meet him alone. At that point, he was being accused of infidelity, so he asked me to visit him minus my staff.” After that Isha mentioned that she called the producer and said that she was selected due to “talent and looks and if that can get me good work, then it’s good enough.”

Isha Koppikar’s career began as a model in the ‘90s. She also competed in the Miss India beauty pageant in the year 1995, winning the Miss Talent Crown. Isha has worked in various Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Marathi films. Some of her Bollywood hits include Pyaar Ishq Aur Mohabbat, Hum Tum, Don, Darling, and 36 China Town. Up next, Isha will be seen in the Tamil film, Ayalaan.