Aishwarya Rajesh’s photoshoot harassment allegations

Actress Aishwarya Rajesh has recently spoken about a disturbing incident from the beginning of her career, shedding light on the kind of situations many young women face while trying to find their footing in the film industry.

In a conversation on Nikhil Vijayendra Simha’s podcast, Aishwarya recalled an unsettling experience with a photographer during a shoot.

The actor said she was very young at the time and had gone for the assignment with her brother. What followed left her shaken.

“I was very young. I had gone with my brother. The photographer asked him to sit outside, took me inside, gave me lingerie to wear, and said, ‘I want to see your body,’” she said.

Aishwarya admitted that she almost went along with the demand before her instincts warned her something was not right. She said she told the photographer that she needed her brother’s permission, which helped her step away from the situation. The actor also revealed that she never told her brother about what had happened and reflected on how many other aspiring actresses may have faced similar experiences.

The actor also opened up about another difficult moment from her early days, recalling an incident where a director publicly humiliated her on set. According to Aishwarya, she was a few minutes late, after which the director scolded her in front of junior artists.

“Scolding was not the problem, but he started comparing me with other actresses. Even if I made a mistake, one should not scold publicly, right?” she explained.