Aahana Kumra made a mark for herself in B-Town with
Lipstick Under My Burkha. However, she has been in the industry since almost a
decade. She has been doing TV shows and web series and hosting as well. Just a
while ago, we reported about how Aahana wanted to commit suicide 5 years back
as she felt her career wasn't heading anywhere significant. In another part of
the same interview with Bombay Times, Aahana has opened up about her
distasteful experiences with Sajid Khan and Anirban Blah.
When asked about if she had faced any advances from anyone in Bollywood she
told BT, "People tell you things like, ‘acting ke upar dhyaan mat do. Just
take care of your looks.’ These are big directors who have already been outed.
Sajid Khan once messaged me, ‘Oh, you can look hot in a bikini also!’ I think
it shocked him that I could look good in a bikini. This was after our meeting.
Talent managers like Anirban Blah speak horribly to aspiring actresses. What is
wrong with these men? A handful of directors feel that inhi logon ke paas kaam
hai (only they have the power to give people work). Phantom dissolved the
company citing various issues, weren’t they aware of what was happening in it?
We should not pass the buck. We are all responsible. Anirban Blah met me at the
lobby of a five star hotel and said, ‘There’s a room here. Let’s negotiate
there.’ I walked out of that meeting because I wasn’t comfortable. It didn’t go
down well with me. That’s ‘normal’ conversation he has with women. The day I
chatted with him, I was shaken."
She further spoke about an encounter with Sajid Khan and said, "I had a
meeting with Sajid Khan about a year ago, knowing the fact that he is a shady
guy. I met him and he did the same thing that Saloni (Chopra) has written about
him. Same drill — you go to his house, you are escorted to his room which is
pretty dark. He makes you watch what he’s watching. He did not make a pass at
me, but he said that he wanted to get to know me. When I asked him why we can’t
sit outside, he said his mother was sitting there so why trouble her. I asked
him to switch on the lights of the room, which he did. You have to be assertive
here. He wanted to chat with me. I told him my mom’s a police officer which I
think made him behave. But he still asked me bizarre questions like, ‘Would you
have sex with a dog if I gave you `100 crores’? He didn’t touch me. I guess he
was trying to give me gyaan on how I need to be a dumbf*** or laugh at his
sexist jokes, if I wanted to be a mainstream heroine in his films. He implied
that I think too much and that I am too vocal about what I think. Hence, I am
not mainstream actress material. Point being, you can meet anyone, but be wise
about who you work with."
Sajid Khan And Anirban Blah
But she wasn't the first one to speak up against Sajid or
Anirban. "I wanted to talk about my experience with Anirban and Sajid
earlier, but their stories came out, and though they tried, they couldn’t
misbehave with me. Some of us are looking for a simple, ‘Sorry’. It’s not about
wanting to punish someone by putting him behind bars. It is about letting
people know what he/she did. Those who are guilty should accept it. I read
Anirban’s letter and I am glad that at least he accepted it. Also, not all are
sleazy. I have worked with a lot of good casting directors, actors and
filmmakers, and a lot depends on how you conduct yourself. Your vibe attracts
your tribe," said Aahana while speaking to BT.
Image Source: instagram/aahanakumra ,Mediatown360 ,Cinestaan & GestrsNews