Casting couch is a trade off
I have been shooting day in and out and have been keeping really long hours. So I have been a tad out of touch with the entertainment news and the happenings in Bollywood. Therefore I was a little taken aback when the story of Onir molesting a male actor at his house came to me. “Onir?” I asked. “Apna Onirban?” “Yes, Yes, Yes!”
responded the informer. The news reported was that Onir called a young actor to his house to watch the actor’s film and a little something apparently happened between them. The actor claims that it was molestation and Onir claims that whatever happened was out of mutual consent. This is from the reports that I read online.
Onir, I know as Onirban, and he used to edit for me when I did some really forgettable stuff for television about twenty years back. It has been long and yet I remember Onir well and the memory is of a chap who could not even hurt a fly. I am not here to take sides or comment on what could have transpired but knowing Onir it sounds quite unbelievable to me and yes, this is my personal opinion and yet I feel the need to voice this opinion.
The problem with our fraternity is that no one really speaks up when anyone of us is being targeted. We remain comfortable in the knowledge that it is not us so it does not matter but in a world where you are guilty until proved innocent it does matter because it could be anyone of us!
However the problem lies in the elements of such a meeting. No meeting on one agenda can be and should be taken towards another agenda and herein lies the problem. Romance? Sure! One nightstand? Sure! Sex for the sake of sex, if it appeals to you? Sure! But we cannot trade the prospect of a career in movies for sexual favors and that is the casting couch. I am not talking casting couch though. I am talking about the pitfalls of genuinely feeling and falling for a person who comes to you for work. It is wrought with treachery!
Casting couch is a trade off. You sleep with the person who has the key to open the world of your dreams. Whether it’s right or wrong or even prevalent is not the point here. The point here is what should happen if the person who holds the key falls in love or begins to develop feelings for the dreamer? Calamity!
There can be no motive behind two people being together other than being together. Nothing else will last and everything else will still be a trade off. The problem is with the feeling of hope. Hope for anything else other than a hope of togetherness destroys togetherness and then the finger points to exploitation. You may not have promised anything but the promise has been accepted on the basis of your actions. You are committed.
This also does seem like intellectualising the situation but the fact remains that you cannot satisfy any of your needs based on the needs of the other. If the person who seeks to be part of your film becomes a part of your life then you are warned, make the person a part of your film as well or else you will have the cruel awakening when the person shouts, “Molestation!” although it was you who was being exploited all along!
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