Actress and model Zhalay Sarhadi has revealed that she faced casting couch situations in the showbiz industry.
She recently appeared on Ahmad Ali Butt’s podcast where she openly talked about how some men in the industry behave against women’s independence and also spoke about the casting couch culture.
The actress shared that once a director told her that if she wanted a role of her choice, she would have to do many things, make compromises, and that some women are even willing to sleep for roles. Then he asked her what she thought about that.
Zhalay said she reacted strongly and told him that she was working in showbiz only to pay for her education. She warned him that if he ever said something like that again, she would slap him.
According to her, the same director later rejected her for a project by saying she was too tall, even though height had nothing to do with the role. When asked if that director is still working in the industry, Zhalay sarcastically said yes, mashallah, he is still there.
During the podcast, she also said that a woman’s earnings are full of blessings. She paid for her own education and wedding expenses, and even bought her own car. So she doesn’t understand why people say that a woman’s income has less blessing than a man’s.
When asked if she proposed to her husband, she laughed and said no, she made sure that her husband proposed to her. She added that her personality is very intimidating, and joked that she doesn’t know what else to say.