# The Dark Side of Bollywood: Even Stars Like Ranveer Singh and Ayushmann Khurrana Faced the Casting Couch **Imagine chasing your Bollywood dreams, only to be propositioned in a seedy room by someone holding the keys to your big break.** This isn't fiction—it's the harsh reality shared by top stars like **Ranveer Singh** and **Ayushmann Khurrana**, as revealed by a veteran journalist.[1][4][5] In the cutthroat world of Hindi cinema, the **casting couch**—where aspiring actors are coerced into sexual favors for roles—remains a persistent shadow, even for those who later became superstars. Ranveer Singh, now known for blockbusters like *Befikre* and *Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani*, opened up about his three-and-a-half-year struggle in Mumbai. He recounted being summoned to a "seedy place" by a casting director who asked, "Are you a hard worker, or a smart worker?" When Ranveer replied he was a hard worker, the man sneered, "Darling, be smart, be sexy." In another chilling detail from a 2015 NDTV interview, the same "highly sleazy gentleman" demanded Ranveer "flash his p*nis or at least let him touch it," leaving the actor heartbroken like a "jilted lover" when refused.[1][2][3] Ayushmann Khurrana, the versatile star of hits like *Vicky Donor*, faced a similar ordeal early in his career. He was promised a lead role if he "showed his tool," but politely refused, highlighting how these predatory encounters test even the most determined talents.[4][5][6][7] These stories, echoed in interviews at events like the Marrakech Film Festival and shared across platforms, underscore a grim truth: the industry's power imbalances prey on strugglers, from assistant directors to theatre actors groping in the dark for opportunities.[1][3][5] A veteran journalist warns that if directors openly admitted to such practices, "many actors would fear working with him," suggesting the issue runs deeper than isolated incidents.[1] Yet, these survivors turned their rejections into fuel, valuing every role they earned on merit.
*Image: Symbolizing the high-stakes shadows of Bollywood auditions (Unsplash).*
Citations
1.https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/ranveer-singh-recalls-casting-couch-experience-says-was-called-to-a-seedy-place/articleshow/95538110.cms
2.https://www.koimoi.com/bollywood-news/ranveer-singh-once-shared-his-casting-couch-experience-when-a-director-asked-him-to-flash-his-pnis-or-let-him-touch-it-when-i-said-no-he-was-heartbroken-like-a-jilted-lover/
3.https://economictimes.com/magazines/panache/ranveer-singh-opens-up-about-his-brush-with-casting-couch-in-early-days-says-he-was-called-to-a-seedy-place/articleshow/95550762.cms
4.https://www.ndtv.com/entertainment/no-casting-couch-in-bollywood-says-this-casting-director-1772480
5.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYBGa-QZ0Aw
6.https://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/ayushmann-khurrana-recalls-shocking-casting-couch-experience-i-ll-give-you-lead-role-if-you-show-me-your-tool/story-63H5fvAh0ge14cmjhm9LfO.html
7.https://www.pinkvilla.com/entertainment/exclusives/exclusive-ayushmann-khurrana-opens-shocking-casting-couch-experience-he-asked-me-show-him-my-tool-529549
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