James Burke reveals the murky world of casting couch in Bollywood!

James Burke reveals the murky world of casting couch in Bollywood!




There have been fleeting evidences of this dark practice in B-town. But what you see here might shock you

In the recent past we’ve woken up to Payal Rohatgi accusing Dibakar Banerjee of making an indecent proposal while casting her for Shanghai. Then there was news about a starlet called Preeti Jain being raped by Madhur Bhandarkar. While none of these stories could be confirmed, it’s no hidden truth that the casting couch is part and parcel of life in Bollywood.

And, guess what: B-town’s history of indecent proposals dates back to – hold your breath – 1951! For all those who are wondering if it’s true, take a look at the gallery below.

These pics taken by photographer James Burke for Life Magazine are of director AR Kardar of Kardar Productions, who has movies like Shahjehan (1946), Dillagi (1949), Dulari (1949), Dil Diya Dard Liya (1966) among others to his credit. And here, apparently, the director is taking a screen test of new girls for his movies. Sigh. And a look at them surely makes you wonder what criteria the girls are supposed to satisfy to pass the screen test!

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