Hansika Motwani's take on casting couch reeks of victim-shaming, ignorance
Hansika Motwani's comment on casting couch unintentionally hints at victim-blaming by suggesting serious workers avoid such exploitation, which oversimplifies a complex issue. This highlights how casual remarks by public figures can perpetuate harmful myths, underscoring the need for more responsible conversations in India.
Let's be fair to Hansika Motwani first. She didn't deny casting couch exists. She didn't say it's made up. She paused, acknowledged she couldn't comment on something she hadn't personally experienced, and moved on. The host, to his credit, stepped in gracefully and made the more important point, that the absence of something in your own life doesn't mean it's absent from the world.
And yet, what Hansika said before that correction is worth sitting with. "Jisko kaam karna hai na, asli kaam, unke saath yeh sab nahi hota (if someone truly wants to work and focus on real work, these things don’t happen to them)." That line, delivered casually, almost as an aside, is one of the most quietly damaging things you can say about an industry-wide problem. Because what it implies, maybe unintentionally, is that the people it happened to either weren't serious enough about their work, or somehow invited it.
That's not what casting couch is. That's not how it works. And that's precisely the kind of thinking that keeps survivors silent.
Casting couch isn’t about someone being careless or not serious. It often happens to people who are ambitious, talented, and don’t have many options. It happens in situations where there’s a clear power imbalance, and saying no can feel like risking your career. Many of those who face it want to succeed just as much, if not more than others. The idea that hard work can protect you from such behaviour isn’t true, and it can end up sounding like blaming those who go through it. And, can be easily termed as a quiet form of victim-blaming dressed up as personal philosophy.
Hansika Motwani has had a long career. She started young as a child actor with Shaka Laka Boom Boom and later appeared in Koi... Mil Gaya before appearing in numerous South films. Over time, she built her career within the industry and had access to a certain level of professional support.
That kind of start can offer some protection. But not everyone entering the industry has that advantage. Many people come in without contacts, support systems, or a safety net. For someone in that position - new, alone, and trying to find a break - the risks can be much higher. They are often the most vulnerable and the most likely to be made to feel that certain things are just “part of the process" or "this is how things work."
Saying that serious talent can avoid this problem misses the point. Exploitation isn’t about how committed someone is. Predators don't target the unserious. They target those who are hopeful and trying to make it.
At the same time, the reactions online, though largely valid, quickly escalated. Comments, memes, and criticism made it bigger than it needed to be. Hansika Motwani isn’t a villain here. She’s someone who has had a relatively smoother journey and may not fully realise that.
Her comment seemed more unthoughtful than malicious. The host, on the other hand, handled it well. He didn’t shame her or lecture her, but calmly pointed out another perspective, showing how such conversations can be handled better.
The larger issue isn’t Hansika Motwani herself. The real issue is how normalised this kind of reasoning has become. We often hear people say, “It hasn’t happened to me, so I can’t comment,” which is fair. But it is sometimes followed by remarks that suggest those who did face it were somehow responsible. The first shows humility; the second crosses a line.
In India, conversations around the casting couch still come and go. They resurface during moments like #MeToo movement and then fade without leading to any deeper change. When public figures have the chance to add meaningfully to this discussion, casual remarks like “asli kaam” can end up doing the opposite of helping. Though unintentionally, it gives cover to the very system that needs examining.
Hansika may have simply said something without fully thinking it through. That happens. What matters more is what follows and whether those with influence choose to use their voices more responsibly. Because the people who faced these situations weren’t any less serious about their work; they just had less protection.
Let's be fair to Hansika Motwani first. She didn't deny casting couch exists. She didn't say it's made up. She paused, acknowledged she couldn't comment on something she hadn't personally experienced, and moved on. The host, to his credit, stepped in gracefully and made the more important point, that the absence of something in your own life doesn't mean it's absent from the world.
And yet, what Hansika said before that correction is worth sitting with. "Jisko kaam karna hai na, asli kaam, unke saath yeh sab nahi hota (if someone truly wants to work and focus on real work, these things don’t happen to them)." That line, delivered casually, almost as an aside, is one of the most quietly damaging things you can say about an industry-wide problem. Because what it implies, maybe unintentionally, is that the people it happened to either weren't serious enough about their work, or somehow invited it.
That's not what casting couch is. That's not how it works. And that's precisely the kind of thinking that keeps survivors silent.
Casting couch isn’t about someone being careless or not serious. It often happens to people who are ambitious, talented, and don’t have many options. It happens in situations where there’s a clear power imbalance, and saying no can feel like risking your career. Many of those who face it want to succeed just as much, if not more than others. The idea that hard work can protect you from such behaviour isn’t true, and it can end up sounding like blaming those who go through it. And, can be easily termed as a quiet form of victim-blaming dressed up as personal philosophy.
Hansika Motwani has had a long career. She started young as a child actor with Shaka Laka Boom Boom and later appeared in Koi... Mil Gaya before appearing in numerous South films. Over time, she built her career within the industry and had access to a certain level of professional support.
That kind of start can offer some protection. But not everyone entering the industry has that advantage. Many people come in without contacts, support systems, or a safety net. For someone in that position - new, alone, and trying to find a break - the risks can be much higher. They are often the most vulnerable and the most likely to be made to feel that certain things are just “part of the process" or "this is how things work."
Saying that serious talent can avoid this problem misses the point. Exploitation isn’t about how committed someone is. Predators don't target the unserious. They target those who are hopeful and trying to make it.
At the same time, the reactions online, though largely valid, quickly escalated. Comments, memes, and criticism made it bigger than it needed to be. Hansika Motwani isn’t a villain here. She’s someone who has had a relatively smoother journey and may not fully realise that.
Her comment seemed more unthoughtful than malicious. The host, on the other hand, handled it well. He didn’t shame her or lecture her, but calmly pointed out another perspective, showing how such conversations can be handled better.
The larger issue isn’t Hansika Motwani herself. The real issue is how normalised this kind of reasoning has become. We often hear people say, “It hasn’t happened to me, so I can’t comment,” which is fair. But it is sometimes followed by remarks that suggest those who did face it were somehow responsible. The first shows humility; the second crosses a line.
In India, conversations around the casting couch still come and go. They resurface during moments like #MeToo movement and then fade without leading to any deeper change. When public figures have the chance to add meaningfully to this discussion, casual remarks like “asli kaam” can end up doing the opposite of helping. Though unintentionally, it gives cover to the very system that needs examining.
Hansika may have simply said something without fully thinking it through. That happens. What matters more is what follows and whether those with influence choose to use their voices more responsibly. Because the people who faced these situations weren’t any less serious about their work; they just had less protection.
