Dressed in a floral blue dress Soundarya Sharma sits in front of the camera fresh as a spring bloom on a regular autumn morning. The ‘Ranchi Diaries’ actress made the headlines after appearing as a contestant at the reality TV show Bigg Boss season 16. In an exclusive conversation with India.com Sharma shared her purview about existence of casting couch  the controversial Pan Masala Ad struggling phase and about her upcoming projects as well. Nothing is on gunpoint... Casting couch has been the dark side of the industry that was kept under the wraps in the yesteryears. Ever since the first film that released in 1913 the industry has changed evolved adapted and broaden its scope ever since. But certain things persist. Once it was considered a way to make it big but now the moral compass have thickened and is subjective. In an age where voicing opinions amplifying the wrong and taking a stand of one’s own is the priority things have changed manifold. It is a time where unapologetically people believe in calling spade a spade. The ‘Me Too’ socialist movement was where it all started in America around 2017. It gained momentum with the hashtag by an Hollywood actress who talked being subjected to sexual harassment in the industry. Eventually the momentum came into limelight in India after actress Tanushree Dutta accused Nana Patekar of harassment. Gaining courage to speak out several other women joined the movement and stated vocalising their story their challenges of being a woman in the industry. Actresses like Neena Gupta Kalki Koechlin Kangana Ranaut Radhika Apte Swara Bhaskar Richa Chadha have been among the most vocal critics of exploitation and manipulation women face in the film industry. When we asked about the existence of the casting couch practise in 2024 in Bollywood Sharma said “ I don’t know because I have mostly encountered good people not that I have not had my share of  these encounters. But I think the choice is totally yours…Nothing is on gunpoint that’s what my answer is that choice is always yours. Having said that not that people must have not been subjected to it even I have but like I said that the choice is always yours you decide what you want to do how you want to succumb to such situations what you want to achieve and how you want to achieve. “But there are certain mindsets that you can’t fight. There are people with sick mindset out here in the industry. They always overshadow the good ones. There are so many good people here I must speak because nobody talks about all those good people” she added. ‘Why would I say no…’ – Soundarya Sharma on Controversy Around Her Ad Film The Bigg Boss 16 fame Sharma achieved a milestone when she shared the screen with industry’s superstar- Shah Rukh Khan Ajay Devgn and Akshay Kumar- for the pan masala ad. Discussing the infamous ad when asked if she ever imagined it to backfire Sharma quickly responded “Not really I still felt that people would talk things but I don’t take it to my heart. At the end it is the consumer who is consuming it and not religiously doing it because some actor has endorsed it.” “I did that in my capacity that I want to make it big in the industry as a budding actor and if given that kind of opportunity why would I say no to something like this. You know you are given a chance to share a screen with three giants in big superstars of country why would say no to something like that. My choices as a person may vary from choices I make as an actor or dentist” she added. For someone to change trajectories of her career and come afar to a bustling city like Mumbai life throws lemons and all other kinds of things. It is your choice what you take. Sharma accepted that the journey does gets lonely when there is no one to back you and call you to tell  you about all exciting auditions. She said “What do you say to your parents everyday ki aaj kaha audition diya aaj kisne demotivate kiya jisse bhi milte the woh kehte the ki just because you know you are pretty you studied acting in Los Angeles you think you will make it big here you are not dating an actor you are not dating a star kid because that what the ritual is like. So it’s been a little tough…” Soundarya Sharma has recently completed her first schedule for the shooting of ‘Housefull 5’ starring Akshay Kumar Abhishek Bachchan Ritiesh Deshmukh Jacqueline Fernandez among others. The Nadiadwala comic franchise is so far set to release on 6th June 2025 in theaters.