MUMBAI: The stunning actress Zareen Khan, who made her mark in Bollywood opposite Salman Khan in ‘Veer’ has come a long way and won a coveted place in people’s hearts. But she too was not immune to the dark side of the industry. In a recent candid interview, she opened up about the shocking situations she faced in the industry. 

Right from being criticized for her looks to facing casting couch, she honestly spoke about her journey as an actress. 

“I have always been a strong-willed person in life. Even when I had 100 kgs on weights, I have never felt inferior to anyone and nobody had the guts to bully me”, shared Zareen. 

When asked about whether she faced any sexual predators in the industry, she revealed, “In the whole pretext of trying to rehearse a scene, this person, told me to to let go of my inhibitions. He suggested to do a kissing scene.” Even though she was relatively new to the industry, she firmly told him “I’m NOT doing any kissing scene as a rehearsal” 

She went on to add that, “Much later, when I was not new to the industry, this person told me that if we become more than friends then I’ll specifically look into the projects you are getting and I’ll make you a lead somewhere.” I said, “No, I don’t work like that. If I’m going to get projects then I’m going to get it based on my credibility. Whether I’m an actor or not, I’m not going to do any favours to anyone.” 

In the interview, she also spilled her heart out about her parents’ separation. She spoke about how the responsibility of the family fell on her shoulders after her father walked out on them. “I wanted to become an air hostess as it was a good paying job and could support my family. But, no airline would hire a 100 Kg air hostess. So, the struggle of reducing weight was very real as only if I did, I could get a job that would help me contribute to my family financially.” 

It takes a lot of courage to come out and speak about sensitive issues like this and not a lot of people do it. It is a breath of fresh air to see Zareen Khan to let the world know about her deepest, darkest secrets of her personal life journey with such honesty. 

On a final note, she says “Every human has an untold story behind them and no one is there to listen.” 

On professional front, she will be soon be seen in an independent film Hum Bhi Akele Tum Bhi Akele where she will play a homosexual and is all set to mark her debut into Tollywood with her film Chanakya.