Surveen Chawla says she faced casting couch in south Indian film industry: How ‘A woman’s weight, waist size and chest size are questioned’

Surveen pointed out at people who “get you in this space where you question yourself.” She recalled that it was the time she was trying to make a transition from television to films. It happened during her first film meeting in Mumbai. She said the experience made her doubt herself as her ‘appearance, weight and waist size, chest size’ was questioned. She said that these are not the right parameters that should define a woman. 

Pointing out that a lot of it happened in the south Indian film industry, she added that things have changed over the past few years. She said that it was a difficult phase earlier, but things are changing with things like body-shaming, mental health and rejections being talked about. 

Surveen made her acting debut with television soap opera Kahin To Hoga in 2003. She went on to be part of TV shows like Kasautii Zindagi Kay, Kaajjal and 24. She entered films in 2008 with Kannada film Paramesha Panwala, and was later seen in Hum Tum Shabana, Ugly, Hate Story 2, Parched and short film Chhuri, apart from several prominent Punjabi movies. Surveen had a remarkable turn in career when she appeared in Sacred Games (2019) and web show Haq Se. 

Siddharth Kannan asked her why she kept her marriage under wraps for two years, and whether mindset towards a married female actress has changed in our industry. Surveen said her husband is media shy, and that became the primary reason. So they made a decision mutually. Surveen said that as the wedding took place in the presence of 40 close people, there wasn’t anything to reveal. She got married in 2015 and revealed it in 2017. 

Surveen added that she however evolved “because from that experience, something inside me changed, my mental health got better after the release of the film.” She said those two years taught her “to give a damn.” 

In a recent interview with Pinkvilla, the 35-year-old shared how she had to opt out of a south Indian film after a director said he “wants to know every inch of her body.” Sharing another experience, she said, “This was another ridiculously big director down south, a National Award-winning director. I had a very long audition there, it almost lasted a shift. I was unwell and I returned after the audition. Then the director suddenly offered to come to Mumbai as I was unwell. I found it very creepy.” 

She added, “On the same phone call, in which he spoke to me through someone, maybe a friend. That person told me on the phone that ‘sir needs to know you, he needs to understand you as this film will take a long time to make’. And then he jumped to ‘only till the film, then you can stop’. I very innocently asked him, ‘stop what?’ So, he said, ‘just till the film this will go on; then you can stop’. I told him that you are knocking on the wrong door. If sir thinks I am talented than I am still willing to work in his film but I cannot barter myself. And that film also didn’t happen.” 

In 2017, the actor faced a similar incident with a Bollywood filmmaker. Surveen said, “I had to barge out of an office because of somebody trying to insinuate an act and I will never do that. Lines to me are very very clear. One filmmaker wanted to see how my cleavage looks and one filmmaker wants to see how my thighs looked. This kind of stuff happens.” 

On the work front, Surveen Chawla was recently seen as Jojo in popular web series Sacred Games.