- Kawatra felt humiliated, questioned, then quietly walked out.
Conversations around the casting couch in the entertainment industry have resurfaced after TV actor Shweta Kawaatra shared a deeply unsettling experience from the early days of her career. Best known for her role in the hit drama Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii, Kawatra recently reflected on the challenges she faced while trying to establish herself in the industry during an interview with Shiny Narang.
‘They Asked Me To Compromise’
Recalling those years, she said the problem extended beyond direct propositions and often involved middlemen and intermediaries. According to the actor, she was initially asked whether she was willing to ‘compromise’, a term she did not immediately understand.
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“They would simply ask if I was ready to compromise. At first, I genuinely didn’t know what they meant. Later, they began making suggestive expressions to explain it. As a young woman entering the industry, it was an uncomfortable and confusing situation,” she said.
Kawaatra added that such encounters left aspiring actors in a vulnerable position, forcing them to navigate situations that were both intimidating and degrading.
‘They Told Me To Strip During An Audition’
The actor also recounted an incident that took place during what she believed was a routine audition at a hotel. She said there were around 60 to 70 women, including several models, waiting outside, which initially made the environment appear legitimate and safe.
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Once inside, however, the atmosphere changed dramatically.
According to Kawaatra, the audition panel comprising the director, writer and producer asked whether she had read the script and requested that she walk for them. After completing both, she was unexpectedly told to ‘strip’.
“I thought I had misheard them. Then they repeated the word. At that moment, I felt humiliated, angry and completely helpless,” she recalled.
Choosing to remain composed, Kawaatra asked why such a request was necessary. She said the panel responded that they wanted to see how she looked in a swimming costume.
“They told me they wanted to assess how I would appear in swimwear. I didn’t know what to say. I simply thanked them, got up and walked out,” she said, adding that leaving the room was the only response she felt comfortable with.
Shweta Kawaatra rose to prominence with Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii, where her negative role earned widespread recognition. She later appeared in popular television shows including Kumkum: Ek Pyara Sa Bandhan, CID and Baal Veer. On the big screen, she has featured in films such as My Brother… Nikhil, Murder 2, Azhar and Ram Setu.
