Daijiworld Media Network – Mumbai

Mumbai, Sep 13: Actor and casting director Abhishek Banerjee has acknowledged that seeking sexual favours was once a common practice in Bollywood, but said the #MeToo movement brought a significant shift in the industry. Speaking to Mid-Day, Banerjee clarified that his own casting agency has always prioritised talent and maintained strict rules to prevent misconduct.

“I think and I hope less of coffee shop meetings and less of dinner meetings after #MeToo. I think that’s one change, probably. When I speak to my female colleagues, I realise that now they’ve understood, they’ve become smarter and guys would not be that direct,” he said, noting how the movement discouraged informal, late-hour meetings once seen as routine.

Banerjee added that his company enforced a zero-tolerance policy: “I had a very strict rule in my casting company that nobody could go and meet an actor outside the office space. And if you’re meeting them outside office space, you’re not meeting them as a casting director. If I get to know that you’ve met an actor at some coffee shop for casting, you’re fired.”

Reflecting on earlier industry norms, Banerjee recalled how difficult it was for actors to believe that casting decisions could be purely professional. “I remember when I used to cast, it was so difficult for people to accept that we were doing it without sex. Ki hum kaam kar rahe hain, but hum only kaam kar rahe hain,” he said.

He also shared that some actors even expected advances after being cast. “I have had experiences where, after casting somebody, people have said, ‘Oh, so now when?’ And I would go, ‘What? You’re a fantastic actor. Why can’t you just accept that?’” he added, underscoring how entrenched the casting couch culture once was in Bollywood.