Fatima Sana Shaikh clarifies remarks on casting couch: Not entire South industry

India Today

6 hours ago

Actor Fatima Sana Shaikh has addressed the controversy surrounding her earlier comments about a casting couch experience in South film industry. She clarified that it was a single incident and not a reflection of the entire South Indian film industry. She said her words were misunderstood and blown out of proportion, stressing that she had moved on from the experience.In an interview with News18, Fatima said, '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."advertisementFatima added that such experiences are unfortunately common across many industries. '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 stated.
She concluded by saying that the person in question was a small-time producer or casting director, and should not be seen as a representative of the entire South industry.Earlier this year, Fatima spoke about a casting agent from the South film industry who made her uncomfortable with inappropriate suggestions. Recalling the moment, she had said, '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.' Fatima said she pretended to play along just to see 'how low he could get.'advertisementShe also mentioned a separate incident in Hyderabad where producers would make indirect but clear remarks. 'They'd say things like, 'You have to meet people', or 'You have to do this and that', making their intentions obvious without saying anything directly,' she shared.On the work front, Fatima will soon be seen in 'Gustaakh Ishq' alongside Vijay Varma, Naseeruddin Shah, and Sharib Hashmi. She also stars in Anurag Basu's 'Metro... In Dino', set to release in theatres on July 4.Must Watch