The case filed against producer Bhushan Kumar, by a 30-year-old woman, accusing him of raping her under the pretext of giving her a job, has again highlighted Bollywood’s casting couch. A statement from T-Series, his production house, dismissed the allegations as “false and malicious”. On a complaint by T-Series, Mumbai Police has registered an FIR against a local politician and a model for extortion.

But the incident brought back haunting memories of many previous instances where female actors have called out the casting couch culture in Bollywood. It has also made many wonder what has changed in Bollywood after the #MeToo movement. Has it scared the perpetrators or is it business as usual? Or, are women misusing their voice instead?

It is extremely horrendous. I know a lot of women who have been through embarrassing situations. Even though women draw a boundary, people just don’t get it. Men always misinterpret a woman’s psychology in the industry. I think they are so deprived sexually that they behave this way and also because of greed and weird fantasies in their head. I never go alone for auditions or for work meetings.

There are people who emotionally manipulate girls. They sense how vulnerable a girl is and how much she needs a job. There are many casting directors who have flirted with me and I took a call that I am not going to work with them in future. I trusted an upcoming director and he knew I was from Kolkata so my Hindi was weak. He said he would help me, he became a friend and started misbehaving. It was a shocker. I am not a big actor but I am in a position where in if a director says he wants to work with me, a producer or casting director cannot misbehave with me.

Casting couch prevails in the industry even today. Just pouncing on somebody is not what I call casting couch. Talking inappropriately, giving indirect hints, even these are a part of the casting couch. Every girl in her career has gone through this. If someone says they haven’t faced it, they are lying. But then, I feel nobody can do anything forcibly. When someone says ‘this guy raped me’ I don’t understand that. It always is mutual, at least in the industry

There are good and bad people everywhere. I think #MeToo movement gave girls a right to speak. But I think there are people who use it not in the way it was intended. We are living in a different time and in the age of social media, so whenever such instances happen to any female actor, they must immediately share their story. There are also some women who wait for an “opportune” moment, that also happens. Good people make sure women who work with them are safe.

In the time I have worked in the industry, I never had to go through the casting couch. I understand jispe beeti hogi, but I don’t know whether it is right or wrong. We all have a sixth sense, so when you know the other person’s intentions are not correct, you should go away from there. Kya kar liya #MeToo ne? You are getting followers on social media… what’s next? People used the #MeToo movement. A girl speaks up after two years. I have friends and family working in various fields, they all say one should speak up when it happened.

When some people are talking about a cause, others start getting aware of a situation. Let’s say if I was stealing money, I would become more cautious about it. But the fact is in a country like India, many production houses don’t give you the job until you have an equation or are friends with them. A lot of people say ‘let’s set a trap for a producer or a director’. They say, ‘He said this’, when they are the ones who are messaging that person.

I have been here for 10 years, nothing of this sort happened with us. However, some new casting directors have affairs with girls and say they will get them work. This is why these new casting people are scared ki kal kuchh ho na jaaye. And new actors are scared. But you only need acting skills. Post the #MeToo movement there has been a change in the casting process. Due to Covid-19, there are also online auditions now.

I know that the casting couch does exist, but I think that more than casting directors, the producers and directors are the people who misuse their power to exploit female actors. Also, there are various people involved in the casting process, so pinning the entire blame (for the casting couch phenomenon in showbiz) just on the casting directors is not right.

In the past couple of months since theatres reopened, several films made their way to cinemas. And most of them were small or medium budget projects. However, those films such as Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari, Indoo Ki Jawani, Madam Chief Minister and Ramprasad Ki Tehrvi, could not grab eyeballs and neither could they get the cash registers ringing. This has led to people wondering if budget films should head to OTT platforms as a rule and if theatres should be reserved only for films with a huge star cast?

“Some of the biggest films have also headed to OTT platforms, so we should stop distinguishing between ‘big’ and ‘small’ films based on their budgets,” says filmmaker Anand Pandit.

He further asserts that what we are seeing is a diversification of what was supposed to be a success formula. “Today, there is no formula. On OTT alone, last year, you saw Laxmii, Coolie No 1, Raat Akeli Hai, Ludo and Sir. And all of these films did well so who is to say which film is meant for the big screen and which isn’t?” he asks.

Filmmaker Nikkhil Advani says that they are clearly demarcating their productions on the basis of a few things. “We are making pure feature films where budgets, scale and point of consumption is suited to cinema, for theatres. We are having conversations with platforms for projects which are being commissioned, and we are also making smaller films which would premiere directly on digital and be sold to them,” he says.

Actor Bidita Bag, whose film Fauji Calling is going to make its way to theatres soon, says, “I am worried that people might not come and see the film. Big films will grab more eyeballs any day, and unke saamne yeh chhoti machli kya karegi? So, it will become difficult to release the film after March because of the big films lined up.”

Many production houses have adopted a release strategy that is decided on a case to case basis. “It’s true that post-pandemic, the release schedule of several films have been put in disarray. It is hard for small firms to manage narrow theatrical windows. In that scenario, if it makes monetary sense for a smaller film to release on an OTT platform, I do see this becoming a trend,” says Siddharth Anand Kumar, Vice President — Films & Events at Saregama India Ltd.

In conclusion, Pandit adds that we just have to accept that content has to be experimental now regard of the budget. “The conventional blockbuster may have to redefine itself though I do feel the magic of the big screen will prevail,” he says.

The debate over censorship on OTT has reached a new height after makers of the web show Tandav agreed to censor out scenes which have allegedly hurt religious sentiments. Actor Bidita Bag, who has done a considerable amount of work on digital medium, says she’s not in favour of censorship of any form on OTTs. “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it if one wants to watch something. An adult should have the choice to watch what they want to. Censorship nahin honi chahiye. Things are getting so difficult,” Bag, 29, says.

The actor finds it odd that people have become so sensitive, and adds, “I don’t know what is wrong with people and how their sentiments are getting hurt so much. How come they are getting so easily hurt on anything and everything? These are very difficult times, we need to select our priorities... Why can we concentrate and talk about real issues?”

As an actor and a creative person, Bag finds censorship of any kind to be a damper. “Censorship is there at every level when you become an actor. The first kind happens with the budget. Whatever your vision is, it’ll be constrained by the budget. Then we create something extraordinary, and censor people tell us to remove this and that. This is not fair for filmmakers and actors. Creativity gets killed at every level,” she explains.

However, Bag, who has done films such as Babumoshai Bandookbaaz (2017), The Sholay Girl (2019) and stars in the upcoming film, Fauji Calling, says the audience as well as makers have to step back and rethink. “Think what you make and be responsible. That’s all that we can do. Even the audience should ensure that they only support projects with good intent,” she concludes.

The controversy around recently released web series, Tandav, took a turn after Supreme Court refused to grant protection to Mohd Zeeshan Ayyub from arrest in several FIRs against him for allegedly hurting religious sentiments in a scene featuring the actor, who, dressed as lord Shiva, was seen mouthing lines about ‘azaadi’. The SC cited the reason that he accepted the contract after reading the script and that he would be held accountable, which now has opened up a debate about what happens to an actor who is simply portraying a character on screen.

Actor Shreya Dhanwanthary asks, “Doesn’t everything hurt everybody’s sentiments? Where do you draw the line?”

Maanvi Gagroo doesn’t thing it’s an actor’s responsibility. The actor adds that it is not even a director’s responsibility. “I am not a big fan of censorship in general, but in a country like India, there needs to be some regulation,” she says.

Rajesh Tailang feels that actors should not be held responsible in situations like these. “Actors have no role in this. It is primarily the responsibility of content creators. I think the copyright holder should be held accountable, actors are not copyright holders,” he adds.

Ever since the development, many have even pointed out that this questions the very foundation of the word and function of acting.

It is a grey area feels Adil Hussain, while adding, “Once you have read the script, you know that this is what this particular project is talking about. So, it depends on which country you are living in, what are the predicament and circumstances and how sensitive you have to be. But at the same time, I don’t believe in censorship. It is important that films do not operate from a space of blaming.”

On the other hand, actor Bidita Bag feels that this indeed is something that actors should be mindful of. “Everyone involved with the project including actors should take some responsibility. Why joke on religion when you know that people are not ready. Religion is a sensitive topic in our country. So why make a joke on it when you know that there is a possibility of a backlash,” she asks.

Echoing similar sentiments, Tailang adds, “Yes, censorship is very limiting, but I think it should be self censorship and as a responsible artiste, you take into consideration everyone’s sensibilities.”

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The actor feels that actors should not be held responsible in situations like these. “Actors have no role in this, I feel. It is primarily the responsibility of content creators. So I think the copyright holder should be held accountable na, actors are not copyright holders. Jo uske perks leta hai, uski hi zimmedaari hai, if I think logically,” he adds.

“Doesn’t everything hurt everybody’s sentiments ? Where do you draw the line? So religion is the only place you are drawing the line? Is that very clear? Are you sure?” asks actor Shreya Dhanwanthary.

“It is a very grey area. It is a tricky one,” feels Adil Hussain, while adding, “Once you have read the script, you know that this is what this particular project is talking about. So it depends on which country you are living in, what are the predicament and circumstances and how sensitive you have to be. But at the same time I don’t believe in censorship, it is important that films what they talk about does not operate from a space of blaming.”

The actor says she personally thinks that it is not an actor’s responsibility. In fact she adds that it is not even a director’s responsibility.

"Acting aise karo jaise zindagi jee rahe ho, aur zindagi ko aise jiyo jaise acting kar rahe ho“, is Nawazuddin Siddiqui's life mantra. The actor, along with his Babumoshai Bandookbaaz costar Bidita Bag, visited the Bombay Times office on Tuesday and regaled the team with his quirky repartees. While it was endearing to see him blush over female attention, Bidita's simplicity and candour was refreshing. Here's what unfolded when we bombarded the bandookbaaz duo with questions about life, films, censorship and more...

Nawaz, what was your wife's reaction after watching the trailer of Babumoshai Bandookbaaz, given its much talked-about steamy scenes?
She was insecure for two days after watching it. Mujhe thoda manana pada. I explained to her that it's just acting, not real. She's not really into films, but I am sure she wondered, 'Kya pata acting thi ya kya'. (Laughs)

You've said that your daughter loved you in The Lunchbox, but you are not comfortable with her watching all your films.What about Babumoshai...?
Well, she saw Munna Michael as well, but I didn't let her watch Raman Raghav 2.0. Most of my films are not suitable for kids, so my children don't end up watching them. That's why I am thinking ki ab mujhe shaadi byah wali filmein karni chahiye or a love story with five-six songs.

Bidita, how intimidated were you while working with a powerhouse performer like Nawazuddin?
I was initially intimidated, but he is a very nice person. He makes his co-actors feel comfortable, is supportive, gives inputs and even discusses scenes beforehand. He ensures that together, we take the scene to another level.

Bidita, were you apprehensive about doing intimate scenes on screen? We also heard that the kissing scene required several retakes. Did that make you more uncomfortable?
I am always fearless in front of the camera, I don't think twice. I just need to be sure about the script. Also, I had mint, a cup of green tea and lots of water before the kissing scene with Nawaz (laughs). It so happened that I had to shoot this particular scene on the second day and I sensed discomfort on the set. I was trying to look cute like a regular heroine while performing and it wasn't working out, as my character has to exude a certain rustic flavour. So, I demanded retakes.

Nawaz, what about you?
Main thoda nervous ho gaya tha pehle. Par director ne bataya karna hai, toh karna hai. Also, we shot that scene in 48 degrees, so it was literally hot. Paseene choot rahe the. We had to take some retakes for technical reasons (posture, camera angles etc).

Bidita was roped in after Chitrangda Singh walked out of the film, apparently saying that she was not comfortable getting so intimate on screen. Nawaz, what was your reaction then?
We had already shot the intimate scenes before she had walked out. Unka issue script ko leke tha, she backed out because of that. Then I reshot those scenes with Bidita. So, I got to romance two heroines in one film (smiles).

Nawaz, while you play a bandookbaaz, darubaaz and bandibaaz in your latest film, one of your previous outings was Haraamkhor. Prior to that, there was Raman Raghav 2.0. Do you wonder why you are a favourite choice to essay grey characters?
I have also done Manto, in which I played a padha-likha insaan. Par beech beech mein iss tarah ki filmein bhi hai. I like doing characters with grey shades because they give you ample scope for performance. Also, I have no interest in having the screen image of a typical Bollywood hero, who is sarvagunn sampanna. He is good looking, wears good clothes, has a pretty heroine around him, baatein bhi bahut achcha karta hai aur style bhi achcha hota hai. Real people are not like that, are they?

But a lot of actors safeguard their screen image and are conscious about changing it...
Agar yaha pe censor na hota, toh main aise aise kaam kar deta. For example, when Raman Raghav 2.0 was screened at Cannes, a lot of people told us that we had compromised on the content by downplaying the violence. At international film festivals, Anurag (Kashyap) is often told that he shouldn't compromise on the content. However, when the same film releases in India, we hear things like, 'Kya bekar aur besharam log Hai. Kaisi cheez dikha rahe hai, bhai-behen ke saath'. The society has become so hypocritical that it's hard to mirror reality. Censorship also limits an actor. For example, when you improvise, you cannot be conscious about the words you utter; if you are constantly worried about a controversy being triggered because of that, you are compromising on your creativity. Yeh ek aur reason hain, jaise maine pehle bola, ki ab mujhe shaadi-byah wali filmein karni hi chahiye.

Nawaz, do you consider a film's box-office viability while choosing it?
Not at all. Take Raman Raghav 2.0 for instance; I knew that it has no future at the BO. It's way too dark. Chal jaye toh achchi baat hai. Unfortunately, humare yahan aisi films chalti hai jahan aap audience ko hasaa ya rula sake. For an actor, these are the easiest emotions to evoke in the audience. The most difficult thing is to keep your audience neutral, which you don't see in Bollywood yet. Emotions make you lose the essence of the subject at hand, kyunki aap emotions mein beh jaate hai.

According to you, which is your finest performance till date?
I liked what I did in Te3n, but I don't think it worked with the audience. Many people thought that it was boring. I also liked what I did in Raman Raghav 2.0.

Bidita, you have worked in Bengali cinema before entering Bollywood. So, do you consider Babumoshai Bandookbaaz as your big Hindi film debut?
Yes, this is my big Hindi commercial debut. I have worked in offbeat films in Hindi, which only arty people saw at film festivals. Not many know about them as they didn't get a theatrical release, despite winning awards. This is my first mainstream release and I have huge expectations from it. Having said that, this is not a typical commercial film with a lavish budget, big crew and foreign locales. There's no glamour as such. We shot in a village, I wore a sari that cost Rs 100, blouse mein bhi safety pins dikhenge. I had no make-up and wasn't even allowed to use a deodorant so that I don't get out of my character.

Nawaz, did Bidita call you bhai, because when you worked with Huma Qureshi in Gangs of Wasseypur, you had asked her not to address you so?
I didn't tell Bidita that. During Gangs of Wasseypur, I had told Anurag that while doing romantic scenes if Huma says, 'Nawaz bhai aise karo', toh main kya karoonga?
Bidita: I had heard this story. Mujhe pata chal gaya tha, isliye I didn't take that risk.

Nawaz, you have come a long way and today, you have an entourage that follows you everywhere. How does stardom feel?
Mujhe abhi bhi yakeen nahi hota hai. Whenever people give me attention, main peeche dekhta hoon kyunki mujhe lagta hain ki woh kisi aur ko dekh rahe hain. I love the fame and fan frenzy as it motivates me to do better work. But I try and focus on my craft instead of being popular as I don't want to be distracted by these things.

Babumoshai Bandookbaaz, hasn't been an easy journey for Kushan Nandy. The filmmaker has overcome many odds to ensure that his labour of love hits the screens this Friday. The movie, in his own words, “was shelved several times, at least in perception“. To begin with, they were forced to change locations. Then, Kushan was forced to replace his leading lady Chitrangda Singh after shooting a considerable portion. If that wasn't enough, he even fought 48 cuts suggested by the CBFC to the Appellate Tribunal. In short, he has seen it all in just one project. In a candid chat with BT, the director talks about the challenges he faced during the making of the Nawazuddin Siddiqui-starrer and how the industry salutes only the rising sun. Excerpts...

After all the hiccups, Babumoshai Bandookbaaz is finally ready for release. Relieved?
Yeah. This film was a roller-coaster ride. I've had to fight a lot of tough situations, but as they say, all's well that ends well.

The film was nearly shelved a couple of times. What exactly happened?
If your last film hasn't been successful, the industry is cruel to you - stingy to give you another chance. I've made two movies earlier and since they hadn't worked wonders at the box office, it became difficult to even put this one together. Also, we had to combat difficulties in West Bengal. There's some kind of a political mafia, which supports the film federation there. So, we were forced to hire an entire group of technicians and junior artistes, the latter increasing in number everyday. We were blackmailed and almost put at gunpoint to pay what we didn't even owe them. The producers couldn't sustain that after a point. Ultimately, we filed an FIR and called off our shoot in the state. That was a huge setback. However, I continued making the film. Nawaz also believed in the script as much as I did. I braved everything for his conviction in the film.

You were also forced to rope in Bidita Bag after Chitrangda Singh walked out, citing the explicitness of the lovemaking scenes as her concern. Why did you stay mum at that time?
I was too shocked to even react to what was being hurled at me, as I don't speak in the way Chitrangda quoted me. It was a personal attack. Without delving much into the past, all I can tell you is that intimate scenes were the last of the reasons for her exit. Many issues kept creeping in while we were shooting, but I don't think they need to be highlighted because I don't want to pull anyone down. She made me look like a villain. I wish her luck, but I know for sure that I don't want to associate with her again.

It didn't take you long to cast Bidita. How did you find her?
I had met her while casting for another strong part in the film. I found her to be very real, unlike the zillion clones of make-up-smeared people we see all around us. She stood out in a jungle of plastic faces. Though she didn't fit in that role, she stayed on my mind. Then, when the fiasco happened, my team started communicating with her. Bidita is a bit of a crack-pot in real life too, which is what I was seeking in my heroine. She had to have that streak of eccentricity and uninhibited attitude.

The next jolt came when the CBFC asked for 48 cuts with an A-certificate. While the news garnered a lot of publicity, Pahlaj Nihalani, after his exit from office, said that filmmakers used him and the Censor Board to promote their films. What would you like to say?
It's a joke if he thinks that we publicize our films using him and the CBFC. The board functions on the basis of such an ambiguous act that anyone in power can interpret or misinterpret it conveniently. See, we could never have released our film with those cuts; it would have ruined the narrative. If I wanted publicity, I wouldn't have gone and met him to seek redressal, but he came across as autocratic and arrogant, which didn't leave me with a choice except appealing to the tribunal. I have not made an erotic film. The scenes naturally flow into the script, they are not for titillation.

Have you charted your legal recourse against him?
Mr Nihalani was trying to sabotage my film. Luckily, I had technical support which helped me prove that his allegations were baseless. I'm shocked with his vindictive attitude towards my film. My lawyer and I are working out a way forward.

Are you hopeful that after Babumoshai Bandookbaaz, the industry will be more accepting of you?
I don't know. I am not thinking about what the industry might do or say. I went out there and made a film despite odds. I want to enjoy this process. The responses have been good so far. Now, I want to know what the audience thinks. It's great if they like it; if they don't like it, I will pick up my lessons, and start working on my next project.