Director Wanted To Meet Me At The Hotel: Khichdi Actress Shares The Darker Side Of TV Industry

We all are not new to the term casting couch. It has always existed in both the Bollywood and Television industry. While some actors come out in open and talk about it, others decide to bid goodbye to the industry. Here, we talk about an actress who recently shared why she left the television industry after facing casting couch. Khichdi was one of the most popular shows on Indian television. Remember the little cute girl Chakki Parekh from the show? The character was played by Richa Bhadra. The little girl went on to doing comedy shows like 'Baa, Bahu Aur Baby' and 'Mrs. Tendulkar' after Khichdi. Now, she is all grown up now and she got married too. She is missing from the small screen for the longest time now and the reason is casting couch. 

Was Asked To Compromise For Projects

After she got married to businessman Vivek Gupta in the year 2017, she started auditioning for some roles. Wonder why didn't she end up doing any of them? She was asked to compromise by a lot of directors. In her latest interview, she shared that a casting director told her, ‘Keep me happy and I will give you work.’ He even wanted Richa to meet him at a hotel when she suggested a meeting in the coffee shop. All of it that she faced while auditioning put an end to her television career. She said, “I came across a casting director who said, ‘Keep me happy and I will give you work.’ He wanted to meet me at a hotel when I suggested meeting at a coffee shop. That was the end to all my aspirations which I had in the industry. I didn’t want to ruin the image which I had built as a child actor." Don't Miss Sameera Reddy Shames Trolls For Slamming Post-Pregnancy Bodies

Was Called "Chubby"

But that's not all, Richa was also body shamed badly. She was constantly called "chubby" by a lot of people. She was told that she needs to lose weight if she wants more acting projects. However, Richa feels that losing weight just for the sake of being in the industry is not her cup of tea. 

Was Offered Roles Where She Was Asked To Exposed

She was also offered roles where she was asked to expose or romance on screen. That was another reason why she quit acting. She said,  “I have always been a plump girl. During my growing up years, I was being offered roles where I had to expose or romance on-screen. I didn’t want to go against my family and or my will to take up such roles just for fame.”

Rejected For Reality Show

Let us also tell you that Richa was rejected for reality shows. She shared that she auditioned for some reality shows but she was told that people have already seen on television and she can't participate in the show.

After facing the casting couch, body shaming, Richa chose a different career. She took up the job of an education counsellor.