Fatima Sana Shaikh says her comment about casting couch in South films was ‘blown up': It wasn't as big a deal

Hindustan Times

15 hours ago

Actor Fatima Sana Shaikh has said that she wants to clarify a 'misconception' surrounding her comment about casting couch in the South film industries. Speaking with News18, Fatima shared that she spoke about a particular incident but the entire South film industry isn't like that. She added that what she shared was "taken out of context and blown up". Earlier this year, Fatima spoke about an interaction with a casting agent for a South Indian film and how his insinuations made her uneasy. (Also Read | Fatima Sana Shaikh details her experience with casting couch in South films: 'He asked, you will do everything, right?')
Fatima said that she dealt with her casting couch experience and moved on. "I want to clear the air. All of this is a misconception. It's not like the entire South film industry is like that. It was just one particular incident that happened. I was talking about it in passing and suddenly, it became like this huge thing. It was not necessary. Every woman goes through this. A woman may walk down the street and have a man hit on her or catcall her. It exists everywhere and in every industry. I don't know why my words were taken out of context and blown up. It's nonsense! It's something that happened. I dealt with it and moved on," she said.
Fatima added that "everyone goes through such things". She continued, 'It wasn't as big a deal as it was made to look. Everybody goes through such things. The person in question was a small-time producer or a casting director. It doesn't become a whole representation of what the South film industry is."
In January, Fatima talked to Bollywood Bubble about how an agent asked her to be ready with everything. "He asked me, 'You will be ready to do everything, right?' I told him that I will be working hard and will do what is required for the role, but he kept saying that, and I played dumb because I wanted to see how low can he get,' she said.
Talking about another incident in Hyderabad, Fatima added, 'The producers would talk about it very openly, 'You know, here you have to meet people'. They wouldn't say things outright but would imply them in strange ways. Of course, they'd say it indirectly, but make their intentions clear. They'd say things like, 'You have to meet people', or 'You have to do this and that'.'
Fatima and Vijay Varma will be seen together in the upcoming film Gustaakh Ishq. Directed by Vibhu Puri, the film also stars Naseeruddin Shah and Sharib Hashmi. She also has Anurag Basu's Metro In Dino in the pipeline. The film also stars Anupam Kher, Neena Gupta, Sara Ali Khan, Aditya Roy Kapur, Konkona Sen Sharma, Pankaj Tripathi, and Ali Fazal. The movie will release in theatres on July 4.