New Delhi: Television actress turned Bollywood star Ankita Lokhande has a huge fanbase - all thanks to her Pavitra Rishta days. But it has not been an easy transition for her from telly actress to a movie star. Ankita recently shared horrific casting couch instances wherein she was asked to sleep with the producer for work.


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In an interview with Bollywood Bubble, Ankita Lokhande opened up on facing casting couch while she was trying to maker her entry into movies. "I feel I am a very strong personality. I don’t let anybody look at me also like that. I’m like ‘Don’t you dare to do that.’ Yes, I have faced it once, no, I think I have faced it twice. Bohot pehle jab me choti thi, mujhe South film k liye bulaya gaya tha. He called me into his room and said, ‘Ankita we want to ask you something.’ I was like, ‘Yes.’ He then said, ‘Aapko compromise karna padega.’ I was so smart, I was alone in that room and was 19 or 20 years old, asked him, ‘Which type of compromise does your producer want? Do I have to go to parties or dinners?", she said.


As she tried to evade the situation, she was asked to 'sleep with the producer'.  “And the moment he said it, maine uski band baja di thi. I told him, I think your producer wants a girl to sleep with, not a very talented girl to work with.’ And I left from there. He then apologised and said he will try to take me to his film. But I said, ‘If you try and take me in also, I’m not interested in your film," she added.


And that's not it, even after she gained fame with Pavitra Rishta, Ankita faced it again. 


"When I got back again into films, I felt it again, just shaking hands with that person. I don’t want to take names, he was a big actor. I got those vibes, and I quickly got my hands away from him. I knew it, ab mera yahaan nahi hoga, because it is a give and take thing. I understood and I left from there because it was not for me," Ankita said.


Ankita Lokhande and late actor Sushant Singh Rajput made their television debut as leads in Balaji Telefilms' 'Pavitra Rishta' by Ekta Kapoor.