Even as a TV channel's sting operation claims to have "blown the lid off the Casting Couch in Bollywood", model-turned actor Ashish Chowdhry, feels that while there is no denying its existence, newcomers who opt for 'this route to stardom' do so on their own volition.

''There is no denying the existence of the Casting Couch.

However, nobody forces you to make compromises or grant sexual favours. Rather, many newcomers, in their desperation to make it as actors, are themselves willing to go to any lengths to acheive their goal,''Ashish, better known in Bollywood for his roles in Karan Razdan's controversial film 'Girlfriend' and Harry Baweja's "Qayamat", tells in an interview here.

''In many cases, if you are an influential person and have access to the bigwigs in the industry, you have newcomers, including girls, pestering you to get them a role in a film. In my experience in Bollywood, I myself have, in the 'post-Qayamat' period when I became a name to reckon with following the success of the film and 'Girlfriend', been approached by many a wannabe actress who were willing to "go to any length to appease" me so as to get a break in Bollywood,''Ashish claimed.

''In my opinion it is sheer stupidity on the part of these girls.

Unfortunately, most of these newcomers seem to be trying too hard.

After all, a role in a film is not the ultimate job. Today, women have a lot of alternative avenues for employment in fields like Fashion, Marketing, IT and several other fields. In case, a girl is not able to make it as an actor, she could seek other employment opportunities and wait for the right chance in films which, eventually will come to her sooner or later,''Ashish said.

Ashish's statement comes close on the heels of a statement at a press meet on Friday by several members of the Industry, including producers Pahlaj Nihalani and Suneel Darshan, directors Raj Kanwar and Ravi Chopra, and actor Arbaaz Khan, that though the Casting Couch was a reality in show business, it was a matter of individual choice and mutual consent.

As a newcomer in Bollywood, Ashish said he too had, many a time, been "propositioned for favours" in return for work in films but he rejected these 'indecent proposals' preferring to wait for the right offers.

Ashish's patience finally paid off. After playing the lead role in Raj Kaushal's 'Shaadi Ka Laddoo', Ashish, bagged Karan Razdan's 'Girlfriend' and Harry Baweja's 'Qayamat'.

The success of 'Girlfriend', where he co-starred with Amrita Arora and Isha Koppikar, and 'Qayamat', where he co-starred with the likes of Ajay Devgan and Suneil Shetty, seems to have kickstarted Ashish's career in Bollywood.