Vikram Bhatt Admits Casting Couch Exists, Urges Fellow People From Bollywood To Not Indulge In It
Vikram Bhatt talks about casting couch, nepotism and lot more.
Today, there is open talk about casting couch in Bollywood. Lots of actresses, right from Vidya Balan to Richa Chadha, have spoken about it without any qualms. Infact, Tanushree Dutta was the one, who started the MeToo Movement in India and post that it has bought a lot of clarity in the industry.
Indiatimes spoke to Vikram Bhatt, who is a well-known director and producer about casting couch and lot more.
We asked him if he was aware of casting couch and did it ever happen in front of him, to which he admitted and said, ¡°I think that the casting couch has existed, MeToo movement has bought it out into the open, what is casting couch? It's basically producers or directors or anyone in power asking for sexual favours in return for a job. I haven¡¯t seen it happen in front of my eyes, even when I was assistant with the directors I have worked with, I did not see it happen, but it obviously does exist¡±.
He even gave a solution saying, ¡° I would urge my fellow people in the industry not to indulge in something like this, at the same time, I would beg anyone with whom this has happened to not settle for it. Don¡¯t do it, don¡¯t succumb to it, how much ever you want your dreams to come true, don¡¯t go the casting couch way to get your dreams, because your talent will guide you and will pay for it. Don¡¯t worry, you will make it. Don¡¯t take the shortcut and that¡¯s my plea, and only if we handle it both ways, there will be solution to the problem.¡±
Apart from casting couch, we spoke to him about the constant nepotism debate, he said, ¡°Nepotism is not success, nepotism is opportunity, it doesn¡¯t guarantee you anything, there is an exhaustive list of talent that came to the industry via the nepotism route that didn¡¯t get anywhere, and I can name brother, sisters, sons of superstars who did not make it. Ultimately the audience decides. But even the people who talk about nepotism should know that unless and until somebody believes in your talent, it¡¯s not going to happen. Someone has to believe in you. I have to believe in newcomers to give them an opportunity.
And why are we singling out the film industry? Isn¡¯t there nepotism in politics and other industries. Don¡¯t we see the son who directly makes it to the board of directors, gets foreign education. There might be people who are much more talented but they don¡¯t get it. Nepotism is also the fact that I have worked so hard in life, why will I not give the opportunity to my children? What is heritage, I pass on something that I have earned to my children, I have worked 35 years hard so that I can give my daughter an opportunity, what you want me to do, tell my daughter to audition and throw her out if she isn¡¯t good and give someone to who is talented, that audience will like, why should I?¡±.
Vikram who is known for his brilliant film-making skills is coming with another project Ghost, which is his favourite genre. Talking about it, he said, ¡°It will be more than safe to say horror is something I enjoy making, I am unapologetic about making my horror films. I love it and I love scaring people."
Being in industry for so long, we asked Vikram if new talents have made him insecure as a filmmaker, he says, ¡°There is nothing like security in film making, Film-making is film-making, you do what you can do, there is a beautiful line,¡¯ ¡®there is only way to not make a flop is by not making a film¡¯. So you have to go out there and play your game, that¡¯s the only way, there is always a pressure of success, but you cannot make a film until and unless you give yourself permission to fail.¡±
He has seen failure and has accepted it with open arms, ¡°Of course it¡¯s very sad, it debilitates you, and how ever much, you say failure is an incident and not a person and stuff like that. At the end of the day it does get to you, but then what choice do we have? Apart from the fact, you kind of learn your lesson and move on. When a film fails, it is a failure of content. Very few times you might end of with maybe a talent that audience doesn¡¯t want to see, the talent itself has got a bad name while a film is shot but other than that generally its a failure of content.¡±
Vikram even admitted today content is king and stars are not stars anymore, ¡°Content is king, the stars are not so much like stars anymore, because you get to see them everywhere, there was a time when I wanted to see my star, I had to go to the theatre and watch them or see their pictures in magazines, but now they are available everywhere. There is so much exposure, so there is no dearth of avenues to watch your favourite stars. There is nothing great about them anymore, so the only thing is if the star comes with good content then I am forced to see them in the theatres, otherwise I am happy seeing them everywhere else, so that time of a star gets an opening regardless how good or bad the film is gone, those days are gone.¡±
Vikram Bhatt has always been vocal with his opinions and this time too he lived by it.
