Casting couch exists, but not only in Bollywood: Kriti Sanon

Actress Kriti Sanon says that though she doesn't have a Godfather in the film industry, she never faced casting couch.

The Bareilly Ki Barfi (2017) actress was present for the the India Today Mind Rocks Youth Summit on Saturday, 16 September. She shared her experience of being an outsider in Hindi film industry and spoke about the casting couch and body shaming at a length.

"I am an engineer, so it was a huge shift for me. I was a little lost...It seemed like a dream which was too big. I think that such things (casting couch) do exist, but not only in Bollywood (Hindi film industry). But in other places too. But fortunately, I have not faced the casting couch. I was signed by an agency and thankfully nothing of this sort happened to me," said the actress.

Reminiscing about her first film, Sanon said, "It was my first Bollywood film so I was really excited. Back then, it was taking baby steps. I was fascinated by everything on the sets and I started to respect this field and everything related to it. 'Whistle Baja' was my first Bollywood song, and I have always been a dancer at heart, so it was a high for me."

Debuting opposite Tiger Shroff with the film Heropanti in 2014, the actress dealt with criticism quite gracefully whether it is on body shamming or acting.

"Don't be scared of failure. Failures make you stronger. Don't let anyone tell you that you cannot make it. When you read reviews, whether the girl has a substantial role or not, people talk about hero and villain, and not write much about the heroine. So that is changing. People are believing in stories where a female is the main protagonist. And I hope it starts to get better from here," she said.