List of actresses who were asked to do dirty stuff with directors, read details

Big Hero’s Director father wanted to sleep with me to get a role: Yashika Anand

South Indian actress Yashika Anand who rose to fame with her role in Iruttu Arayil Muruttu Kuthu had shared instances of sexual misconduct she had faced in her career. One of them, she added, involved a popular director, who is labelled a father figure and a big star in the Tamil film industry.

“I do not wish to name him now because it was difficult for me to overcome the experience. I am now over it,” she said in an event in Chennai.

Yashika explained that the incident occurred when she had auditioned for a role. “He had asked me to wait outside while he spoke to my mother. He told her that if I wanted to do this role, I had to sleep with him. That’s when I wondered why people take advantage of their positions,” she said.

The actress added that she always stood up to those who harassed her in public. “Once, when someone assaulted me in public, I kicked him back. Another time, there was a police officer in my area who made me feel unsafe. He was removed after I filed a complaint,” she said.

A couple of years ago, a video of a police officer asking a woman for her “rate” spread like wildfire on all social media platforms. “I was the woman in that video. We filed a case against it but nothing has happened so far. Complaints too don’t work most times. I believe self-defense is the best thing,” she added.

On her views about ‘casting couch’, Yashika stated, “Let’s have professionalism and not go through this way and work (sic). Not everybody is wrong but this (sexual harassment) should be removed from Tamil industry and all the other industries.”