Actress Chahatt Khanna recently shed light on the darker realities of the entertainment world. While she denied having any personal experiences with the casting couch, Chahatt did not shy away from speaking about the unsettling trends she has observed—particularly with regard to ambiguous or inappropriate clauses in film contracts.
During a recent conversation with Hauterrfly, Chahatt shared that actresses are often asked to ‘compromise’ in South Indian industries. She said, “Uss time par hota tha naa—‘Amaa, compromise, everywhere this happens in South.’ The South Indian industry is very open about it, but they are also respectful of women. The same thing happens here as well (in Bollywood). It’s just that they are not open about it; they don’t write it in contracts.” According to her, while the South Indian industry might be more direct in its approach, Bollywood tends to keep such matters off the record.
She further added that she has personally come across professionals who have gone so far as to explicitly state inappropriate expectations in work agreements. “Main toh aise logon se mili hoon jo contract mein likhwate hain ‘compromise’. (I’ve met people who actually include ‘compromise’ in the contract)—that you have to compromise with the director, producer, actor, and everybody except the spot boy. I have heard such stories, but no one has ever pounced on me.”
Chahatt began her television journey with Hero – Bhakti Hi Shakti Hai. However, her breakthrough came with the role of Ayesha in Bade Achhe Lagte Hain, followed by another standout performance in ‘Qubool Hai’.
She was also part of films such as ‘Thank You’, featuring Akshay Kumar, and ‘7½ Phere: More Than a Wedding’, starring Irrfan Khan and Juhi Chawla. She played a role in ‘Prassthanam’, alongside Sanjay Dutt and Ali Fazal, and appeared in Yaatris, directed by Haarish Vyas.
