Following Sri Reddy’s shocking statements on casting couch in the film industry, Malayalam actor and theatre director Navajit Narayanan recently revealed that even men bore the brunt of the practice.
The young actor, who has been establishing himself in the industry and was recently seen in Ennu Ninte Moideen and Aami, spoke to The Times Of India about his experience with the issue of casting couch. Once, when the actor went to meet a director he knew at his house, he was asked how he would benefit by giving Navajit a role, and touched the actor inappropriately.
When people asked him why he did not lodge a complaint against the director when the incident occured, he said that he did not have any proof in hand. He added that he could not name the perpetrator, as the director’s wife is vulnerable and could take an extreme step.
The actor said that he did not post about the incident just to seek attention but to document his experience. He said he realised the magnitude of the issue among men, but it remained a topic that was not spoken about. After his social media post, many aspiring actors had written to him saying they had been solicited too.
Navajith also said that the entire industry could not be bracketed in the same category; only a few directors displayed predatory behaviour. Be it men or women, talent would be pushed to the backseat when films were promised in exchange for sexual favours, he said.
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Earlier, in 2015 , Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh revealed that a director had asked him for sexual favours in return for film offers. The director went on to tell him that he had to be “smart and sexy” to get ahead in showbiz and also advised him to be open to “take and touch”.