Casting couch is present everywhere, Parliament is not immune: Renuka Chowdhury
New Delhi, Apr 24 (IBNS): Congress leader Renuka Chowdhary on Tuesday said she feels the casting couch is a grim reality which is even present in the Parliament.
She made the comment amid controversy triggered by choreographer Saroj Khan's comment justifying casting couch.
Renuka Chowdhary told media: "It is not just in the film industry. It happens everywhere."
She said: "Don't imagine that parliament is immune or other work places are immune to it."
She said India should not stand up and say 'Me Too'.
#MeToo campaign was launched on social media in the wake of the reports of sexual harassment of actresses by powerful Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein.
American actress Alyssa Milano, on Oct 15, wrote a post on Twitter and asked her followers to retweet it with a reply 'me too' if they were sexually harassed or assaulted , to imply the "magnitude of the problem".
The urge to retweet by Milano had sparked the hashtag as several women started to write on social networking sites #MeToo and some of them even shared their own experiences.
Meanwhile, Bollywood's popular choreographer Saroj Khan recently triggered a controversy when she justified casting couch by saying that it is "age-old".
She also said that despite casting couch, the film industry provides work to people.
"At least the film industry gives work. It does not rape and abandon people," Khan told media.
She has reportedly apologised for her remark.
Actress Sophie Choudry criticised Saroj Khan for her remark and tweeted: "WTH?!!!! So much respect for Saroj-ji as a choreographer but this is how she uses her position to protect girls?!!! If I didn’t come from a financially sound background I would have returned to London within a month of being in mumbai cos of “industry folk” who think like that!!."
Saroj Khan has worked with several top Bollywood actresses like Madhuri Dixit, Aishwarya Rai, Rani Mukherji and Raveena Tandon, among others.
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