Upala KBR (MID-DAY; October 18, 2017)

With as many as 43 women accusing Hollywood heavyweight Harvey Weinstein of sexual harassment, the scandal has put the spotlight on the murky side of showbiz, highlighting once again how the industry is riddled with misogyny and sexism. As more skeletons come tumbling out of Weinstein’s closet, closer home, it has served as an inspiration for producer-director Shailendra Singh’s web film, titled Casting Couch Ouch. Singh has approached Ram Kapoor to play the central character that is modelled on the disgraced producer.

Singh reveals that he had devised a script based on the casting couch prevalent in the industry. However, once the scandal broke out, he amended the story to make it more relevant. “We reworked the character of the producer and based him on Harvey Weinstein. We are in talks with Ram Kapoor for the role, as he has a similar build to that of Harvey. We will be shooting the film over the next 10 days,” he says.

Much like Hollywood, Singh says that its desi counterpart too has umpteen cases of powerful men preying on actors. His web film will bring to light such unspoken truths of Bollywood. “I felt that if we address the issue in our film, it will send shivers down the spines of many in Bollywood. We hope to create awareness at large. The Weinstein episode is just as relevant here. I think the casting couch still exists in Bollywood. The young generation of actresses may be sharp, but as an insider in the film circuit, I know that they still have uncomfortable experiences during their auditions today.”