Bollywood Scandals That Would Even Make Weinstein Blush

By Tom McGregor, a commentator for CCTV.com Panview, based in Beijing

Just like a thunderbolt striking when you least expect it, news broke out in the New York Times over the weekend that detailed disturbing behavior of one of Hollywood’s most powerful men, Harvey Weinstein, a movie mogul and major donor to the Democrat Party.

According to Variety, "Weinstein has been rocked by a devastating New York Times report documenting decades of legal settlements stemming from sexual harassment allegations leveled by former employees and associates, as well as accusations of improper sexual advances from actress Ashley Judd."

Hollywood has been well-known as a scandal-ridden place, where sexual improprieties, family break-ups and party-hard lifestyles have become the norm for movie moguls, actors and actresses alike.

Nevertheless, when it comes to real scandals, Bollywood may put Hollywood to shame.

Shakti Kapoor, Movie Villain on Casting Couch

It’s not difficult to uncover a corrupt Indian film sector, just go to any Website search engine, and type, “Bollywood Scandals,” and you’ll get flooded with juicy gossip.

Easy to find an article, headlined, "10 Bollywood Sex Scandals That Shocked the World," posted by buzz.iloveindia.com.

Apparently, the Indian-version of Weinstein, a man who lures naive, young and beautiful women on a casting couch to engage in sex in return for promises to appear in upcoming film roles, would be Shakti Kapoor.

"In a casting couch sting operation, yesteryear’s Bollywood villain Shakti Kapoor was caught red-handed as he requested sex in exchange for roles in Hindi movies," as reported by buzz.iloveindia.com. "A journalist had posed as a struggling actor who, as Kapoor claims, made advances towards him. Lured by the young woman, he admits to have played along." 

But Shakti Kapoor is not alone as a guru of casting couch villainy in Bollywood. Other directors including, Subhash Kapoor and Onir, were both rumored to participate in similar lewdness.

Claiming Ignorance on Rape as Serious Offense

In most instances when a Bollywood actor stands accused of committing a crime, they first deny it, but if proven guilty they wear a mask of humility and apologize to the public.

But Bollywood star, Shiney Ahuja, who soared to fame in 2009 film, 'Gangster,' showed no remorse for his actions after evidence proved that he had raped his maid. He even recruited his wife to proclaim his innocence.

Later on, when confronted with the truth, Shiney Ahuja dismissed his criminal misdeeds, saying he "was unaware that rape was a serious offense."

Another actor, Aditya Pancholi, who is best known as Bollywood’s favorite 'bad guy' was also caught sleeping with a maid, but the affair took a strange twist since the domestic servant was working for his then-girlfriend, Pooja Bedi, a model-actress.

Meanwhile, a few Bollywood stars have even inspired their children to follow up on the path to a scandal.

Turning Porn Fantasies Into Reality

One of Bollywood’s most critically-acclaimed actors, Mithun Chakraborty, has a son hoping to make it big in the movie business and was cast in Salman Khan’s TV show, based on the life of the Great Gama. But he started the rumor mills rolling after posing for selfies with a porn actress.

"Couple of weeks ago, Mithun Chakraborty‘s son Mahaakshay aka Mimoh took to his Instagram to share a picture where he is seen alongside famous pornstar, Kayden Kross," according to bollywoodlife.com. "He went on to claim this meet his as a dream come true moment for him. He was awestruck as well starstruck like any die-hard fan would be."

Ready, Set, Action: Keep Them Scandals Running

In the self-absorbed world of Hollywood, many people are led to believe that the biggest and most outrageous scandals can be found in the glitz and glamour of California’s film industry.

Of course, it’s easy to make such conclusions when following up on the sudden downfall of the movie mogul, Harvey Weinstein. Nonetheless, you can find plenty of seedy scandals in Bollywood as well, but that will create a bigger buzz of curiosity for movie fans. 

Perhaps, Hollywood will face its demise in the global arena and Bollywood will emerge to play a starring role as producer of the world’s most popular movies in the near future.