Parliament is not immune from casting couch: Renuka
Congress leader Renuka Chowdhury seems to be privy to the best-kept secret of Indian lawmakers: that even the august institution of Parliament is not immune to the casting couch.
"It is not just in the film industry. It happens everywhere and it is the bitter truth. Don't imagine that Parliament is immune or other work places are insulated from it," said Chowdhury, who was a member of the Rajya Sabha until recently.
The Congress leader said that it is time India stood up and said "Me Too", referring to the 'Me Too' global campaign against sexual harassment and assault.
Chowdhary, always outspoken, recently waded into a controversy with her comments on rape, a take-off on one of the most iconic dialogues of the Hindi film "Sholay". "No woman goes out these days. These days when girls go out and are raped, they are asked at the police station 'Kitne aadmi they,'" she said, referring to a spurt in reported child rapes and gang-rapes.
Chowdhury was livid recently when PM Modi had lampooned her in Parliament and likened her to a character in Ramayana – Soorpanakha.
The incident was at the back of her mind when she, on Tuesday, equated the casting couch to sexual harassment at the workplace and even dragged Prime Minister Narendra Modi into the controversy. “When the PM makes a derogatory statement against me in Parliament, he is taking away my dignity as a woman,” she said. “When the PM insults women in Parliament, when Kiren Rijiju uploads objectionable videos, it is derogatory towards me,” she added. Though Modi never mentioned Soorpanakha by name, MOS for Home Rijiju had given the game away by uploading on his Facebook account an image of Soorpanakha laughing her head off in a TV episode.
Saroj Khan ‘defends’ the couch
In all fairness, Renuka Chowdhary was responding to Bollywood choreographer Saroj Khan's remark earlier in the day on the casting couch. Virtually defending the casting couch in the film industry, the 69-year-old, who has choreographed more than 2000 songs in her career,
had said: "This is going on since times immemorial; someone or the other always tries to take an advantage of a girl. The government officials do it too, then why target only the film industry? Here, at least, one is not raped and dumped. Rather, the industry provides us a means of livelihood.’’
("Tum film industry ke peeche kyun pade ho? Woh kam se kam roti toh deti hai. Rape karke chhod toh nahi deti. ‘’)
Warming up to the theme, Saroj further said: ‘‘It is entirely up to the girl, what she wants to do. If you don't want to play into the trap, you won't. If you are talented, why would you sell yourself ? Don't blame the film industry, it is everything to us, she added."
The choreographer was, in turn responding to a question from a journalist in Sangli on Telugu actor Sri Reddy stripping in protest against the casting couch culture in the Telugu film industry.
Later, after Saroj’s comments went viral, she apologised and said she had misunderstood the question in the din.
The National Award-winning choreographer is famous for songs such as "Ek Do Teen" and "Choli ke Peeche" added that the onus of staying .