Malavika Sreenath, a Malayalam actress, recently disclosed in an interview her distressing experience of being subjected to the casting couch. According to her, three years ago, she was invited to audition for the role of Manju Warrier’s daughter in a film. After the audition, the person who facilitated it recorded a video of himself groping her from behind. He then requested that she wait inside the room for ten minutes while her mother and sister were outside.
The audition took place in Thrissur, and Malavika was accompanied by her family. After the audition, the man instructed her to fix her hair in the dressing room. When she was doing so, he suddenly came from behind and grabbed her. She was unable to push him away and was left trembling. He then asked her to ask her family to leave and requested that she stay for ten minutes.
Malavika burst into tears and tried to knock the camera down. However, she was able to flee when he was distracted. She later discovered that the people who had called her for the audition were not affiliated with the film. She added that anyone would have jumped at the opportunity to meet Manju Warrier.
Malavika’s story is a tragic reminder of the casting couch culture that is prevalent in the film industry. Many actors and actresses have come forward to share their experiences of being sexually harassed during auditions or on sets.