Casting couch caught on tape

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Like a pair of star-crossed lovers, the words “Bollywood” and “sex scandal” just can’t keep their hands from going down each other’s pants (or something like that). The latest hullabaloo erupted after the broadcast of famous villain actor Shakti Kapoor purportedly soliciting sex from a reporter posing as an aspiring actress:

A video clip, which the station said was taken earlier this year, purportedly shows Kapoor in a Bombay hotel room telling the undercover reporter, “I want to make love to you … and if you want to come in this line (of business), you have to do what I am telling (you) to do.” Kapoor is heard on the 40-minute recording telling the woman that he will put her through acting and dance classes before introducing her to top directors. He also names three Indian actresses who allegedly had sex with top producers and directors in exchange for roles. [AP/Yahoo!]

Kapoor denies any wrongdoing, claims it’s a frame-up, and accuses the broadcaster of altering the clip. See, when he said “I want to make love to you,” the unedited version actually had him saying, “I want to make love to you, mom.” So really, there’s nothing tawdry about what he said. Oh, wait…

AP/Yahoo!: Sex scandal embroils Bollywood

Update: Saurav points us to a download site that has a copy of the video (5.1 MB).

Update 2: DesiDancer directs us to a pair of Sify articles (1, 2) that name names. Kapoor’s spin is almost as hackneyed as his pick-up lines:

Kapoor found himself deeper in trouble because he named leading film personalities to have used the casting couch to enter the film industry. “With folded hands I have apologised to the entire film industry, including Subhash Ghai, Preity Zinta, Aishwarya Rai and Rani Mukerji, who are close to me,” he said. “I had no intention to hurt them. The whole thing was doctored and tampered and, in case they still feel hurt, I am ready to apologise again.”…“I have been framed so badly that I could suffer a heart attack,” he said. “They could have pushed me to the brink of committing suicide.”…“I suspect I have been framed by a political party. I had supported the Congress and my opposing rivals would have found this the right opportunity to settle scores for having backed the party. The said channel (India TV) which has pulled through this ’expose’ is known to have the backing of the rival party. Hence, I strongly suspect that the whole thing had been framed,” he said. [Sify]

34 thoughts on “Casting couch caught on tape”

  2. Shakti Kapoor has always been damn sleazy. Look at his face and you know what kinda guy he is. No way that he was framed. He got caught red-handed, and its great Mr.Ghai and Ms.Zinta are bashing him.

  3. I heard about the so called secret many years ago. It’s common knowledge and so was the video. I can’t believe people haven’t heard about this sooner

  4. ooh what a tease .. no link to the video?

    Not on purpose though. I’ve been trying to dig up a link to the video, but haven’t had any luck yet. If someone has it, please send it our way. There could be no more important task.

  6. I just watched the video. It’s (thankfully for me) mostly in English. It’s also muy creepy, given that he’s a total sleaze and the quality of the video is like a bootleg copy of Seven. The two names I caught were Aishwarya and Preity. There was another one, but I didn’t catch it. Oh–here’s a site that says the other one’s Rani Mukherjee.

    The Inside Edition style of the video is hilarious–they actually rewind and let you watch the damning statements about Aishwarya, Rani Mukherjee and Preity Zinta twice.

    I don’t know if I buy it, given that he’s trying to intimidate the hell out of this woman (she really sounds like a girl). Then again, why would the Bollywood industry be any less sketch than Hollwood?

    ooooh, scandalous!

  7. He got screwed…by a channel thats developing a reputation as a vendetaa machine. What he did was obviously wrong and sketchy….but having a reporter approach him for months at a time, organise a meeting at a hotel room, and lead him on for a long time. I am sure he was hitting the woman up for sex…but the channel crossed a line going after him.

  9. Thanks for the link, Saurav — updated the post. Reiterating Ab’s question, who are the other actresses and producers/directors?

  10. Apul, Sify says it’s Preity Zinta, Rani Mukherji & Aishwarya implicated as “the actresses” and particularly Subhash Ghai and the whole Yash Raj camp are the offending producers with strange couches…

    it’s unfortunate but I’d have to say it kind of goes with the territory.

  13. i think i’m the only person who couldn’t make out a word except “aishwarya” “rani” “preity” and “fuck”

    and i thought i was going crazy when i heard the sound effects.

  14. i think it would have been funnier and harder hitting had they just had some producer going “dishoom!” instead of that weird effect they used.

  18. And here is some more though on the issue that we really need some more rules in India on ‘sting’ journalism and secretly recording people. Shakti kapoor definitely sucks, but if what India TV did to him and Aman Verma is considered precedent, any one can enter my house tomorrow with a hidden camera and record things which moral or not are my own private business.

    http://web.mid-day.com/columns/mayank_shekhar/2005/march/105641.htm

  19. A very interesting article on this issue and investigative journalism if anyones interested is on rediff here

  20. i think sk has fallen into a deep shit… now y doesnt he try to get up and dust his pants off?? why is he still laying down and rolling and still screaming “i did not fall!! i was pushed!!!!!Who cares for you?? you lier!!!

  21. The video in the link that you have posted up is clearly NOT the right one.

    Who do I have to sleep with to get some decent editorial quality around here ?

  22. hey can someone post the link to the complete video please … please .. and please again

  24. Now I can understand why India TV would target Shakti Kapoor, the man’s a known sleazepot and can be trusted to provide excellent footage on command. But why Aman Verma? Verma’s always been the goody two shoes, the nice boy you could show off to auntyjis and take home to Mataji and Pitaji. Or the folks at India TV knew something the general TV viewing public in India didn’t?

    Hmmmmmm……….

  25. india tv sucks, i really don’t understand how they could be so sadistic, they really crossed the limit..

  26. Oh Gosh :)) :)) this is so hilarious!My bro told me to check on net about a scandel concerning shakti kapoor but i never thought it could be this funny!!AHAHAHAHAHAH What the hell was he thinking! Didnt he think for a sec why the camera’s where there??talk about being dumb! :)) and yeh can anyone please paste a link to the whole video :d i really wanna see :d

  27. Okay, anyone who wants to find the whole video, click on the link above, then click on “free” at the bottom of the page, and then wait (look on the bottom of the page for how long you have to wait).

    If that doesn’t work, then ask where to get a copy of the whole video.

  29. Let this be a lesson to all those BIG or SMALL people that next time dont dare to mess with any girl and make use of her innocence and give her false hopes to caste her in films.I strongly feel govt should do something about it and get a strict rule to charge these Molesters in the court.THIS PRACTICE MUST BE OVER FOR GOOD AND LET ALL THE GENUINE ARTISTS COME OUT IN AN OPEN MEDIA AND BE CASTED FOR THEIR CALIBRE AND SKILLS THERE ARE HIDDEN BEAUTIES EVEN BETTER THAN MADHUBALA AND ASH but because of this fear they are all HIDING If this fear is off and LAWS GET STRICT believe me INDIA WILL HAVE MISS UNIVERSE AND MISS WORLD COMING EVERY YEAR AND ALSO OUR MOVIES WILL BE WATCHED AND WILL BE SUPER HIT ALL OVER THE WORLD…….AAMIN

  30. I heard, I heard, somebody got screwed, did you hear too? This is what I hear in these posts…

    My Response:

    I think the question here is just like OJ Simpson… I didnt do it (or did I, let me think!)

    Anyways, I think we are wasting our time here talking about this as things get edited, messed with or corrupted in media, now everyone knows this very well.

    I am not for Shakti Kapoor or any one… Its just that who are we too judge anyways? Are we all so clean and pure?

    Think for once and you will get the answer and my opinion in it 🙂

    Thank you all, Peace out!

  31. I had a friend working in showbiz line he had even slept with Sonali Bandre & Pooja Batra. Another friend of mine working in a big hotel in Mumbai saw Kareena Kapoor having sex with an unknown person.

    Because of all this i had stopped watching indian movies

  32. hi there this is all so bull. the network could not come up with any director/financier/prod but shakti? this is all BULL. if someone comes to me and wants to root me, wat am i goona go? and dunt u call me immoral if i do that. even if shakti had rooted her, i would still say he is not to be blamed. and if someone says about his family and other bull, i think shakti took the reporter woman as a ‘vacation’, a nice place u wanna go to. see u all have a home, but u always cherish that ”vacation” hit me with something concrete at toxicguy@hotmail.com.

    cheers

  33. I thought everyone in India knew abt the casting couch…why the hell is this such a big shock for everyone anyway???Shakti Kapoor is an a**hol* and anyone who looks at him will know that!He should have been kicked out of the industry ages ago.

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