Mumbai: Actress Hansika Motwani, who was recently in the news following her divorce, is once again facing online scrutiny after speaking about casting couch in the entertainment industry.

The actor said she could not comment on the issue as she has not experienced it personally. However, her remarks didn’t sit well with the social media users, who trolled her and called her ignorant.

Hansika made the comments during an appearance on The Male Feminist, a show on Hauterrfly’s YouTube channel, where she was asked about the prevalence of the casting couch in showbiz.

When the host pointed out that her early start in the industry as a child artiste may have shielded her from such experiences, Hansika replied, “Nahi, nahi… Aur mujhe pata hai ke kya lagta hai ke jisko kaam karna hai na, asli kaam, toh uske saath yeh sab hota nahi hoga. I come from that (thought) because mere saath nahi hua (No… And I believe that if someone genuinely wants to work, real work, then these things don’t happen to them. I come from that mindset because it hasn’t happened to me).”

When the host mentioned that even if she hadn’t faced it herself, the existence of such practices in the entertainment industry cannot be denied, Hansika said, “I honestly can’t comment on this because I don’t know.”

The host then emphasised that the issue cannot be brushed aside. In response, Hansika said, “Yeah, we can’t avoid it, but I don’t know about it.”

Social media users weren’t on the same page as Hansika, and they made their disapproval clear. The comments section of a reel featuring her remarks quickly turned into a hotspot of criticism, with many calling out the actor and branding her as “ignorant.”

One commented, “Another one living in a bubble”, and another said, “Diabetes isnt a disease because i dont have it.”

“Madam lives under a rock! So she wouldn’t know,” quipped one user.

“You are playing safe… u know it,” observed one person.

Expressing disappointment, one netizen wrote, “I’m astonished by the audacity of such privileged celebrities who just dismiss such heinous crime like exploitation just because she was lucky enough to not face it… Such a disgraceful comment she made, no wonder she gets so much hate online… She is so full of herself that denies anybody else’s real life experiences just because it didn’t happen to her!!!… Wow.”

“Such an ignorant personality on such big issues,” one wrote.

One mentioned, “Did she just say it didn’t happen with her, so it doesn’t happen? And then went on to indicate that “casting couch” is just an excuse to not do “asli kaam”? Somebody needs to throw a brick on her face.”

Other comments read, “Wow ignorant much???”, “Wtf…that’s so ignorant”, “Host is too good! Didn’t let Hansika get away with her stupidity”, and “She is soo stupid .. I did not know that”.

Hansika began her career as a child artiste on television with ‘Shaka Laka Boom Boom’, later appearing in shows like ‘Des Mein Niklla Hoga Chand’.

She also featured in films such as ‘Koi… Mil Gaya’, ‘Escape from Taliban’, ‘Jaago’, and ‘Aabra Ka Daabra’.

She made her debut as a lead actor at the age of 16 opposite Himesh Reshammiya in ‘Aap Kaa Surroor’.

Over the years, she built a strong presence in South Indian cinema with films including ‘Engeyum Kadhal’, ‘Velayudham’, ‘Oru Kal Oru Kannadi’, ‘Theeya Velai Seiyyanum Kumaru’, ‘Singam II’, and ‘Aranmanai’.

The actress was last seen in the 2024 Tamil film ‘Guardian’, alongside Suresh Chandra Menon and Sriman. She also appeared as a judge on the Telugu reality show Dhee Celebrity Special 2.

She will next be seen in the Amazon Prime Video original series ‘Gully’, directed by Praveen Sattaru and co-starring Sudheer Babu, JD Chakravarthy, Shraddha Srinath, and Prince. The release date of the series is yet to be announced.