Chiranjeevi Denies ‘Casting Couch’ in Telugu Industry, Chinmayi Fires Back: 'Women Lose Out On Roles If They Refuse'
The veteran actor faces backlash for blaming women in the Telugu film industry for their experiences with harassment, with singer Chinmaya Sripada firing back on social media.
At the celebration event following the success of his latest film Mana Shankara Varaprasad Garu, veteran actor Chiranjeevi vehemently denied “casting couch” allegations in the Telugu film industry.
“This is a great industry,” he said. “If some people could not make it, or some say that there are negative people, or someone says that they had faced bitter experiences, I believe it is because of your fault.”
Chiranjeevi went on to laud his own daughter, Sushmita Konidela, and the daughters of popular Telugu film producers, adding that there have been many women like them who have established successful careers in the industry without facing any untoward behaviour.
The actor went on to say, “If you are strict and serious, no one would take advantage of you. There won’t be any casting couch. It depends on your behaviour. Because of your insecurity, you might think, ‘oh, maybe this is how we should behave’. You behave professionally, and the opposite person responds in the same way. This industry is like a mirror. Whatever you show, it projects back."
Since 2018, actors such as Sri Reddy have been outspoken about the solicitation of sexual favours in exchange for opportunities. Chiranjeevi’s comments have come amid a rising tide of women speaking up against harassment in the Telugu film industry, and have led to significant backlash online.
Singer Chinmayi Sripada fired back, writing that the casting couch phenomenon is “rampant”, and that women often lose out on roles if they refuse to concede to such demands.
“Men remain in positions where they believe they are entitled to, and WILL demand and expect sexual favours from women,” she wrote on X, citing anonymous examples of industry insiders who have been known to harass female talent.
She went on to address Chiranjeevi’s comments directly, explaining that he is accustomed to working in a different era, where the industry treated one another like family.
“Legendary Chiranjeevi garu comes from a generation where they all were friends or even family friends with their female co-artistes, mutually respected each other, worked with legends, and they are all legends themselves,” she added.
Denouncing his comments ‘blaming’ women for their ‘bitter experiences’, the singer ended her response by saying: “Men believing they are OWED sex in return for giving work are the problem.”