Imli actor Seerat Kapoor sheds light on the dark reality of casting couch in the TV industry

Seerat Kapoor has had her father, actor Sandeep Kapoor’s support in her showbiz journey. In fact, he’s the one managing her work, and she admits that it keeps her away from unwanted people in the showbiz, confessing that casting couch is a reality of the industry.

“It is true that working on TV serials is comparatively a bit safer in those areas (casting couch situations). However, there are people who want to use you, or who want to make money out of you. But TV is a safer industry area because they can’t tell you that you have to do a bold scene. That is what TV is,” Kapoor says, adding, “They might call you for meetings, or might take inappropriate auditions. I have not faced such a situation. But casting couch exists in the industry. Workplace harassment is there in every field, and it stands true for showbiz as well.”

The actor, who started her acting career with Run Raja Run, feels the power of escaping such situations lies in the hands of people.

“These people recognize your fear, vulnerability and how desperate you are. That is when they prey on you. One has to maintain that confidence within yourself. It’s not easy at all. I have had my full family support but most people do not have that,” says actor, currently seen in the show Imli.

Moreover, it was her conscious decision to have her father look at her business in showbiz.

“He is the person who brought me into the industry. He’s an actor himself, and has much more knowledge about everything. When he talks to people, he knows to take out the unwanted people, who are not really interested in my work. I feel more secure knowing that he is managing my work,” she says, adding, “Now, I have started to recognise because I have been with him throughout all the calls and meetings”.