Malhaar Rathod on casting couch in Bollywood: 'A producer asked me to lift my top'

Malhaar Rathod, an aspiring actor, reportedly moved into Mumbai in 2008 to pursue her career in acting. She is now a familiar face to Indian viewers, appearing in advertisements for global skincare brands including Garnier and Dove. The actor was also a part of the hit show Hostages on India's Disney-owned streaming platform Hotstar.

However, Malhaar Rathod recently created headlines after she highlighted the darker side of her struggle in the industry as a budding actor.

Malhaar Rathod opens up about the casting couch in Bollywood and its darker side

The 25-year-old actor who aspires to be like Preity Zinta and Deepika Padukone told a news portal that something known as Bollywood's 'casting couch' culture that underlines many challenges, seeking anyone to break into India's massive, insiders-only film industry, where the #MeToo movement has secured few wins.

There is a report saying that Malhaar Rathod shared that the Indian industry largely looked the other way round and many of the alleged perpetrators have been able to revive their careers after lying low for a few months.

She also said that she waited and waited to hear back about the roles she had auditioned for, which also led to sleepless nights. The actor concluded saying that you cannot have too many expectations in the industry, otherwise you will be perpetually disappointed. 

Further, she went on to reveal the most shocking experience of her life. She shared that once a producer asked her to lift her top. Highlighting the ugly situation, Malhar said that she got so scared and did not know what to do at first.

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(Image source: Malhaar Rathod Instagram)