Bollywood in uproar over sex scandal

India’s Bollywood film industry was in the grip of a sex scandal Tuesday after a TV station broadcast footage of a famous actor purportedly soliciting sex from a journalist posing as an aspiring actress.

A video clip, which the station said was taken earlier this year, purportedly shows actor Shakti Kapoor in a Bombay hotel room telling the undercover reporter, “I want to make love to you ... and if you want to come in this line [of business], you have to do what I am telling [you] to do.”

Kapoor, who has appeared in more than 300 movies, has denied any wrongdoing and accused India TV of framing him.

Kapoor is heard on the 40-minute recording telling the woman that he will put her through acting and dance classes before introducing her to top directors. He also names three Indian actresses who allegedly had sex with top producers and directors in exchange for roles.

“So you have to do it just once,” he says in the recording.

The recording sparked an uproar in Bollywood. The Film and TV Producers’ Guild said it “is advising its members not to engage Shakti Kapoor in any work.”

But some industry leaders appeared unfazed by the scandal. Producer Mahesh Bhatt said soliciting sex in exchange for roles “is Bollywood’s best-known secret.”

“The rot is within us,” he said, adding that Kapoor should only be punished with a fine.

Kapoor, who usually plays villains in movies, has claimed the clip was altered. He said the woman met him repeatedly over several months, asking for a film role and finally threatening suicide if he did not come to her hotel room.

“The tapes have been doctored,” he told reporters Sunday. “I never touched her.”

Kapoor also denied making any allegations against other celebrities or powerful figures in India’s film industry. He threatened to sue India TV.