A South Director Once told Upasana Singh, 'Sitting Ka Matlab Samjhi?'

Actress Upasana Singh, recognised for her roles in Judwaa, Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon, and Comedy Nights with Kapil, recently shared a challenging experience from her career. She recalled how a South film director, much older than her, invited her to a hotel in Juhu, Mumbai, claiming it was for a meeting, but it turned out to be an uncomfortable encounter. The actress revealed that the traumatic incident left a deep impact on her and she locked herself in a room for a week.

Upasana recalled the incident during a chat with Siddharth Kanan, She said, “A big South film director had signed me for a film opposite Anil Kapoor. I used to take my mother or sister whenever I visited the director’s office. One day, he asked me why I always bring them with me. He called me at 11:30 at night and asked me to come to a hotel for a ‘sitting’. I insisted that I would listen to the story the next day since I didn’t have a car to reach there. But then he asked, ‘Nahi, tum sitting ka matlab nahi samjhi?'"

Upasana said she couldn’t sleep after the meeting with the director. The next day, she went to his office, where he was having a meeting. “Phir mera sardaarni vala dimaag satka. His office was in Bandra and I went there. He was having a meeting with three to four people. His secretary asked me to wait outside but I didn’t. I barged in and abused him in front of those people in Punjabi for nearly five minutes continuously. But when I left his office, I remembered that I had informed a lot of people that I had signed the film with Anil. I couldn’t stop crying while walking on the footpath," Upasana said.

On the impact of the incident, she said, “I didn’t leave my room for seven days. I would cry nonstop, wondering what I would tell people. But those seven days made me stronger. I was like ‘teri aisi ki taisi’. My mother worked hard to support me. I thought about her and decided I would not leave the film industry."