Trouble in Kollywood: Casting Couch, Prostitution and Suicide

On screen, Indian actresses dress modestly and cavort frivolously just a finger's width beyond the reach of wanton counterparts, but life doesn't always imitate art. While Indian actresses strive to maintain the sheen of virtue in public, the film industry has forced many into the dark realm of prostitution. In the last year I have read more instances of Tamil and Telegu actresses being busted by the vice squad than I ever would have imagined. Last night the Deccan Chronicle buried a report deep inside the paper that the TV actress Maria was arrested with two other small time actresses for soliciting undercover police men. It wasn't the first time I had read something like that. Every few weeks the papers publish stories about actresses turning to prostitution, but they spend no time analyzing what is going on. It is as if everyone knows it is happening, but no one wants to say anything.

Madhuri was arrested Madhuri was arrested on July 11th.

As was Swapna (link in Tamil)

In 2004, Telegu actress R. Tara Chowdhary was arrested in Hyderabad for soliciting people through the Internet.

In 2003, a veteran of over 25 films, Vinitha, was caught in a sting operation when she responded to a text message from her alleged pimp.

These are really just the tip of the iceberg. In fact, so many budding actresses are caught that the Vice Squad probably has a whole unit that only investigates film stars.

But why do so many actresses turn to prostitution? I don't have any hard evidence yet, but my guess is that in order to break into the incredibly competitive realm of film, many young actresses have to submit to the casting couch to get a role. Anecdotal evidence from many of the people I know who work in the industry suggests that without family connections the only way to grab the attention of a producer is to sleep with them. After that it only takes a little push for actresses to realize that they can make more money selling their bodies than acting in low-budget films and it doesn't take long before you can find them on the Internet or in cars on the side of the road.

A corresponding trend, I believe, is the large number of suicides among mid-level TV actresses. Every week without fail, blurbs buried in the back pages of the newspapers report instances of young actors and actresses hanging themselves in their homes. The numbers are astounding. Oftentimes the actresses leave no notes and the families have no idea what is going on. My guess is many young actresses are forced into having sex with higher-level people in the industry in order to get roles or because they are being blackmailed by people who will out them and ruin their on-screen reputations.