Neena Gupta Faces Backlash For Her Comments On Casting Couch: ‘Nobody Forces You To Sleep…’

Veteran Bollywood actress Neena Gupta has been receiving criticism over her old comments on the issue of casting couch in the film industry. In a 2021 interview, Neena had said that no newcomer is “forced” to sleep with anyone for a movie role and it’s completely on them how much they want to compromise.

While giving out a piece of advice to aspiring actors, Neena told NDTV in a video interview, “Here, nobody forces you to sleep with them. It’s you, who has to decide how much you want to compromise. It’s very simple – if you say no, there are 10 other girls willing to say yes. It’s not necessary that you sleep with them and they’ll give you a role. They might give you a small role, somewhere in the crowd. This is business. It is your choice.”

Neena’s comments have left social media divide, with a section of netizens dubbing her views as “problematic”. One user wrote, “I lost all respect for her.” Another one said, “Did she just compare casting couch to Domestic Violence? Can’t believe how someone can be considered progressive for her time to have a child out of wed lock and yet have such regressive thoughts. I’m guessing Masaba is going to realise her foot in the mouth moment and quickly start with damage control.”