New Delhi: Since 2015, Shiv Thakare, the young man from Amravati has been trying out in Mumbai. Thackeray is well-known today thanks to his appearances on reality series like Bigg Boss and Roadies, but in his early days, the young actor had to deal with scandalous predators.
Speaking of his experience with the casting couch, Thakare claims he was fortunate enough not to become a victim of the malpractice, but he has come across individuals who have tried to take advantage of him.
During an interview with Hindustan Times, Shiv Thakare narrated an incident from the past. "I once went for an audition in Aram Nagar and he took me to the bathroom and said, ‘Yaha pe massage centre hai’. I didn’t get the connection between an audition and a massage centre. He told me, ‘Ek baar aap aao yaha audition ke baad. Aap workout bhi karte ho...’ I just left the place, since he was a casting director and I didn’t want to take any pangas. I am no Salman Khan. But I realised there is no discrimination between men and women when it comes to this (casting couch),” he said.
Recalling another episode, the 33-year-old actor said, "There was a ma’am in Four Bungalows. She would tell me ki, ‘Maine isko banaya hai, maine usko banaya hai’. She was calling me for an audition at 11 in the night. Itna bhola toh nahi hoon main ki I won’t understand what auditions happen at night. So, I told her that I have some work and I cannot make it. To this, she said, ‘Kaam Nahi karna?’ ‘You won’t get work in the industry’ and other such things. So they would demotivate you and manipulate you. But I would never get bothered by it.”
Some people even tried to loot the 'Bigg Boss 16' contestant financially. "A lot of people have asked me for money, saying you give us money and we will get you good gigs. I just knew this basic thing that if I don’t fit in a character, no one can push me for a role,” he shared.
Shiv Thakare was last seen on the celebrity reality show 'Bigg Boss 16'. He was one of the finalists and ended up as the runner-up after MC Stan lifted the winner's trophy.