Girls told to be confident

Vijayawada: Girls should be confident and in case they face any bad experiences like casting couch, they should revolt and file criminal cases against the perpetrators, said noted producer and director Tammareddy Bharadwaja while addressing the media here on Thursday.

Referring to the recent bitter anecdotes reeled out by Sri Reddy and others like Madhavi Lata and Gayatri Gupta, the director asserted that there has been casting couch in the industry. He recalled that he personally thrashed when some girls brought the incidents to his notice in the past.

Girls, who come to the industry with passion for acting, need not be afraid that they would not be selected if they did not yield to the pressures of the bad elements.

He rejected the idea that casting couch is rampant in the industry, pointing out that the children and spouses of celebrities are also in the industry. “If the situation is that bad, we would not allow our children to enter the industry,” he added.

Referring to the bad elements in the industry, a producer, who is said to have produced 14 films, has been searching for new actors for his new production by giving advertisements in the TV channels.

”I don’t even know who is that fellow and I don’t see the necessity of such scrolling in the visual media,” he said and appealed to the TV channels not to encourage such advertisements for a mere Rs 100.

The director said that they have written to all the departments to appoint Committee Against Sexual Harassment (CASH) which should work transparently and with the members who would not yield to pressures.

“Anyway, all these things would not happen overnight,” he said and appealed to the TV channels to cooperate with the industry since both depend on each other.  

Referring to the bad elements, Tammareddy said that the managers who organize dates for the actors, some event managers, junior artist suppliers who arrange bulk number of men and women may indulge in such activities.

The industry is planning to set in place a redressal committee, which could be approached by the victims, in addition to the CASH appointed by departments concerned, the director announced.