Popular television actor Rithvik Dhanjani recently recalled the horror of the casting couch when he was just 20 years old. During the podcast Two Girls and Two Cups, Rithvik recounted the unsettling incident that left a scar on his impressionable mind.
How the "Casting Director" Approached Rithvik
Rithvik went to Mumbai's Aram Nagar, which is famous for its casting offices and auditions for budding actors. While Rithvik was standing in a long queue, a "prominent" casting director called him over, confirming he was shortlisted.
"That guy took me inside the studio and said, 'You are shortlisted.' I was shocked; it felt like an angel had come from nowhere, taken me out of the line, and said I was shortlisted. I was elated, and I started thanking him," Rithvik said. "Then he said I had to come to his office right away, and I said, 'Yeah, sure.'"
When Rithvik asked for the address, the director insisted that he would take a bike ride with him.
"How did you come?" Rithvik answered, "On a bike." The director then said, "Okay, I'll sit behind you." "I should have realized right then that something was wrong," Rithvik said. "Someone so prominent should have a car, and if not a car, then at least a two-wheeler. He was sitting behind me on my bike, can you imagine?"
On the way, the casting director kept name-dropping actors whom he claimed he had launched, trying to impress Rithvik. But when they finally reached the destination, it was a different story altogether.
"I saw there were no offices, just a grocery shop and a bun-maska stall. I kept thinking, 'Does he really do casting here? That can't be.' He asked me to come inside and led me into a narrow lane; I assumed there might be a bungalow at the end. Instead, there was a gate with a huge lock. He opened it, and inside it was completely dark, with stairs going up. He said, 'Come up, this is my office.' I swear I peed my pants; by then I had realized something was off, this is not right."
Rithvik showed his laptop and a CD containing his showreel when asked to present his work. The man stopped the reel midway and told him, "You are a very hard worker." When Rithvik agreed, the director replied, "In the industry, you don't have to work hard, you have to work smart," and then began touching him. "The moment he touched me, I froze. I was terrified inside, I was only 20 years old. I was shaking. Somehow, I managed to get out of there."
Rithvik went straight to a friend's place and broke down. He wanted to quit the industry. His friend consoled him and asked him to move on.
Asked whether things have changed in the post-#MeToo era, Rithvik answered with hope. "I really hope so. I want all these predators to be caught and I need people to speak up. Now, if I see a person like that I can thrash him very severely—that's the kind of anger I have. That also comes as a trauma response because back then I was helpless; I couldn't do anything. If anything like this happens to anyone, they really need to speak up."
Rithvik Dhanjani is known for shows like Pavitra Rishta, Yeh Hai Aashiqui, Bairi Piya, Tere Liye, to name a few.
