KARAN SAYS HE WAS ASKED FOR SEXUAL FAVOURS

Karan Tacker might be a popular name on TV now, but like most acting hopefuls, his initial days in showbiz were full of struggle and untoward experiences, including the casting couch.

Karan recalls being asked for sexual favours by the same man about whom actor Ranveer Singh had opened up in 2015. Ranveer had shared that early on in his career, a man had made advances, saying, ‘You have to be smart. You have to be sexy. Jo smart hai, jo sexy hai, wo aage nikal jaata hai.’

Karan says, “I saw this interview of Ranveer, and realised that it was the same guy; a casting director/coordinator agent who said, ‘I’ll ask you a question, whether you will work hard or smart’. Funny part is that he is still casting. I won’t name him.”

Karan, who has acted in TV soaps Rang Badalti Odhni and Ek Hazaaron Mein Meri Behna Hai, and hosted reality shows India’s Got Talent, and The Voice, adds that advances come his way even today. “It depends on which way you want to go. I suggest people do the right thing. This period makes you understand the industry better and gives you a good story when people ask how hard it was for you!” he laughs.

His struggle was also about being paid very little or nothing. “There were times when people would just give me the photos from a shoot I did for their brand. I’d use it as a portfolio that would cost around ₹50,000 in those days,” recalls Karan, who is reportedly in the running for a role in the sequel to the 2012 Bollywood film, Student of the Year.