Mumbai: ‘Casting agent’ gets three years for cheating aspiring actors

MUMBAI: In a city that witnesses hordes of aspiring actors gambling all that they have to make it big, dozens fall prey to scamsters promising them that elusive break. In one case, with at least 32 persons cheated of Rs 1.7 crore, a magistrate court convicted and sentenced a “casting agent” to three years’ imprisonment for falsely promising them roles in films and advertisements.
Refusing to grant leniency to Manish Thakkar aka Guru, the court said he had cheated many and fled with their money. “One victim had to sell her gold bangles to fulfil his demands. He played with their emotions and cheated them of huge sums. A victim was threatened on the court premises. Goons sent to a victim’s house beat her up and threatened to harm her teenaged daughter,” the court said. Other accused in the case are absconding.

In the case, registered by economic offence wing (EOW) in 2010, Thakkar used to publish newspaper advertisements claiming that women, men and children were required as actors in TV serials and advertisements. Anyone contacting him or co-accused Mohamed Soni would be called to an office in Andheri (W) and told to pay an entrance fee, for which a receipt was issued. Later, he would call them to various locations, including five-star hotels, and pretend to conduct auditions. The accused would tell them to pay for the “auditions” and on the pretext that they were selected for assignments. Victims would sometimes get minor roles but would be lured into making large payments for bigger assignments.

Among the 12 witnesses were some victims. A Mulund woman said her son was an aspiring actor, and they had paid Rs 22 lakh over two years, hoping for a break in films. The woman said the accused used to issue receipts and later take them back but she would keep copies of them. Once, she said, the accused signed her son for a film and promised him Rs 38 lakh. She was told to pay a refundable deposit of Rs 12 lakh. Her son was given small roles, and called to a film set which had known actors, on the pretext that he was being signed.

The woman said the accused told her to settle the matter by accepting Rs 1 lakh when she demanded her money back in December 2008. She said four “courier boys” beat her up in June 2009. Three of them allegedly held her daughter in her room, and threatened the woman to take back the criminal case against the accused. The woman said that when her daughter screamed for help, one of them snatched her chain and fled.