Bollywood actress Isha Koppikar, known for her debut in the Hindi film Fiza, recently opened up about her casting couch experiences during the early days of her career.
Recalling a disturbing incident at the age of 18, she revealed, “I was 18 when a secretary and an actor approached me for casting couch. They told me that to get work, you have to be ‘friendly’ with actors. I am very friendly, but what does ‘friendly’ mean? I am so friendly that Ekta Kapoor once told me to have some attitude.”
Isha Koppikar also recounted another instance involving an A-list actor when she was 23. “One actor asked me to meet him alone, without my driver or anyone else, because there were rumours about him being involved with other actresses. He said, ‘There are already controversies about me, and the staff spreads rumours.’ But I refused and told him that I couldn’t come alone. He was an A-list actor from the Hindi film industry.”
The actress has been candid about her personal and professional challenges. About two years ago, in an interview to a media outlet, Isha Koppikar detailed another casting couch encounter.
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“I called up the hero, who asked me to meet him alone. At that point, he was being accused of infidelity, so he asked me to visit him minus my staff.” She added that she told the producer, “I was selected due to talent and looks and if that can get me good work, then it’s good enough.”
Career and Personal Life
Isha Koppikar began her career as a model in the 1990s and competed in the Miss India beauty pageant in 1995, winning the Miss Talent Crown. She has acted in a variety of Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Marathi films. Some of her notable Bollywood hits include Pyaar Ishq Aur Mohabbat, Hum Tum, Don, Darling, and 36 China Town. Koppikar will next be seen in the Tamil film Ayalaan.
