Ankita Lokhande, On Casting Couch, Was Told To Sleep With Producer

“Pavitra Rishta” fame Ankita Lokhande recently revealed her casting couch experience in an interview. She said that the producer offered her to do a South Indian film only if she agreed to “sleep with him.” 

Ankita shared that she met a filmmaker in a hotel in Mumbai after she received a call from the producer that she had been selected for a role. “I had given an audition, I got a call saying, ‘You have been selected.’ I was supposed to go to sign and I told them, ‘Yes, I will come to the hotel.’ I even told my mother excitedly, ‘I am going and I will get the signing amount’,” narrated Ankita.

She was in doubt about getting the role easily; when she went to the hotel, she was called inside. Ankita was asked to compromise; she was 19 at the time and was desperate to become an actor. She revealed that they said,” You have to compromise.’ She added, “I was just 19 at that time. At that time, it was like ‘I want to be a heroine and that phase was on.’ I played smart because I did not want to hear that I had to sleep with someone. So I asked them, ‘What kind of a compromise? Do you want me to go to a party with your producers, finances?’ So I played it very smart so that I don’t get to hear that what they were supposed to say.”

But she was told, “You have to sleep with the producer.” After hearing it, Ankita got up and, before leaving, told the person, “I don’t think your producer needs a talent, they need a girl to sleep with and I am not that one.”

Ankita handled the situation very well, refused to do what she was asked to, and walked out. She further decided not to work in the film industry and was happy with only working in the television industry.

Ankita realised that she could not let anyone ask her to sleep with them to get work. The actress felt low and questioned herself “How could someone say this to her?” That day, she decided she would not do any films because they were dirty, and she felt more than happy to work in the television industry. Ankita revealed that she got the opportunity from “Pavitra Rishta,” and she happily took it.

But in Kangana Ranaut‘s 2019 film Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi, Ankita made her Bollywood debut. She starred in Baaghi 3 as well, and Swatantra Veer Savarkar will be her next film.