She further adds that producers approach her with examples from stars like Radhika Apte and others who have shot scenes with partial nudity in shows on big platforms like Netflix. He said, “I will turn and tell them that they are paid in lakhs for those scenes and here we do not get money and are being punished from all sides. We are just acting and performing in those scenes.” Zoya was paid Rs 20,000 per day for her performances in erotic films.
Zoya hails from Nagpur and came to Mumbai for the first time when she got a BPO job in 2004. He has worked in shows like ‘Saubhagyavati Bhava’, ‘Bade Achhe Lagte Hain’ and ‘Fear Files’. Like most newcomers to the film industry, Zoya too, was misled by the night time producers and was often asked to compromise when she needed a good break. Recalling the time, she says, “People mislead you and the word ‘compromise’ is definitely used. Most of the newcomers who come to Mumbai to become actors don’t know who the real filmmakers are and they often get duped. I came to know about a man who lied to me that I was selected for a role in a film which was being titled by Emraan Hashmi and Kangana Ranaut. Producer told me that I will have a scene with Emraan but samjhauta karna padega (I will have to compromise). Many a times I was asked to spend time with the producer. I didn’t compromise and I had confidence as an actor, so I started doing small films which didn’t require me to compromise, although these films also had bold scenes. Those films were censored when Sharmila Tagore was the chairman of CBFC and were released with an ‘A’ certificate.
Zoya also fell victim to a publicity stunt from one of the producers of her film, who used raw clips of some intimate scenes in the film and swapped them out as one. mms. In return, he was labeled as a porn actor. “It was a huge blow to me in real life. My personal life was affected by my fiancé being upset with me. I even went to the cyber cell to complain about it, when the producer refused to believe that he did it,” she sighs. After this the actress stopped working in bold films. Now single mother Zoya, who lives with her mother in Vasai, has taken a complete break from acting. “I was not getting work in mainstream films and most of the time we were asked to sit all day with excuses like there is a friendly appearance by Akshay Kumar in the film, or it is a Radhika Apte production, but something beyond that. Does not happen. . I live in Vasai and it is really quite expensive and expensive for me to go to the studio in Andheri every day.
After the easing of the first lockdown last year, the production of the bold ‘web series’ registered a spurt. that was when Mukesh Agarwal, got in touch with Zoya, a film producer. “He tracked me down and told me that I had a good body of work and that I should go back to work. He promised that I would get a good salary. Initially, I was reluctant, but when he shared some music videos , which featured girls in bikinis, so I agreed to do it.”
Zoya was in shock as the project offered to her was bolder than before. She said, “It was being produced by Yash Thakur, who apparently lives in Singapore and is not accessible to anyone. But he has created the most bold content. I was also offered work by another company, Hotit, who offered payment based on the kind of boldness I displayed during the shooting of my film, and had the proper papers saying they would ask me something like this. I will not even ask you to do what I am not comfortable doing. He is the first person to go to jail.”
Zoya has not met or spoken to Raj Kundra, but said that Umesh Kamat called from his office and claimed that he was managing hot Shots. “He told me he wanted to give me a big break, but with the condition that I would have to give a nude audition on a video call, which I refused to do,” she recalls, “I never did Raj Kundra. But Umesh Kamat was trying to persuade me to work with Hotshot just two days before I was arrested. But there was another man named Roy who called me from Singapore and said he was a Wants to audition naked. He even dropped the name of Hotshot.”
Zoya said that everyone will paint a rosy picture of Raj Kundra as a big businessman and his association with Bollywood. “I didn’t know what the whole game was, but I had heard from some people that he wanted to make the porn industry as big as Bollywood. We actors were just pieces to this big game and someone like me gets tagged as a porn star,” she says.
The erotica industry is equally cruel to men. Zoya further says, “Boys are also exploited in this business. People who are uncomfortable showing their bodies lose out to people who are willing to pose naked for shows. There are boys who come from theater and are good actors and have worked in good serials. They are told that they will not be given work if they do not remove their underwear and show their full back. The boys are asked for a normal audition over the phone and are told that regular bold content will be shot and the budget will be Rs 5000 per day. But once they are on the sets, they are told that if they are ready to have real sex, their budget will be Rs 15000 and promised that they will become big stars as the porn industry is booming. That’s how they motivate them to have actual sex.”
Zoya is happy that the censorship guidelines are being implemented and There The content is gradually being regulated. He is happy that there is a limit on bold content too. She adds, “My pay has come down to half what I got, but I am happy to work in this new environment and now I am very relaxed. I am glad that we don’t have to take a bikini off now. It has happened (I’m glad) that we don’t have to undress in front of the bikini anymore)”.
.