Recently, actor Hemant Choudhary almost got conned by someone who posed as a casting agent for the south film KGF Chapter 3. Hemant says, “Last month, I got a message on Instagram from a person saying that they were casting for a big south project. They said that they had seen my recent work in the web show Aashram, where I played a police inspector and wanted my number. I then got a call from a guy who said they were considering me for the role of a police commissioner. They asked me to audition for it, so I sent them a clip. Later, I was told that I had been finalized and they sent me documents, which looked like a formal agreement.”

He further narrates, “Then they asked me if I had a Kannada film industry card, which was necessary. They said my Cine and TV Artistes’ Association (CINTAA) card wasn’t enough and that I would have to pay them Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 12,000 to get the other card. When the guy insisted that I transfer the money online, I got suspicious. I called a friend who is an actor in Kannada films and asked him to find out about this. He told me the card wasn’t necessary and even found out that the makers of KGF 3 weren’t casting for this role. That’s when I realized that I was being conned.”

He adds, “Even with 20 years experience, I almost fell prey to this casting call scam. Imagine what a new actor would go through. Since 10,000 is not such a big amount, newcomers may take a chance. I confronted the guy, but he refused to admit to anything. I am speaking about this to create awareness. KGF 3 is a big film and I hope the production house gets to know that there are some people trying to con actors.