Mumbai: Years after her controversial exit from ‘Bhabhiji Ghar Par Hain’, actor Shilpa Shinde has made a startling revelation about sexual harassment allegations that once dominated headlines.
In a recent interview, the actor revealed that her allegations against the show’s producer Sanjay Kohli were false.
In 2016, Shilpa had accused Sanjay of sexual harassment and alleged that her dues had not been cleared. She further claimed that the hostile work environment forced her to quit the show.
During her recent appearance on Bharti Singh and Haarsh Limbachaiyaa’s podcast, Shilpa recalled the chain of events.
“Nobody knows this, I am not scared of saying the truth, and I will still say that what I am saying is a big thing maine apne producer ke upar sexual harassment ka case kar diya tha kyun ki mere pass koi raasta nahi tha… aur tab main uss main se nikli hoon settle hoke. (I had filed a sexual harassment case against the producer because I had no way left. Then, the case was later settled),” she said.
“Tab kisi producer ne unka saath nahi diya aur maine case usi basis pe kiya … police toh seedha FIR karne ke liye yeh bolti hai aapko ganda likhna padega and I am from law background… Ma
in aaj iske through bol rahi hoon woh jhooth tha. Main yeh aaj first time confess kar rahi hoon sach much. Phir hamari settlement hui aur jo hamari payment thi jo teen mahine baad milta tha voh clear hua. (At that time, no producer supported him, and I filed the case on that basis. The police directly tell you that if you want an FIR to be registered, you have to write serious allegations. I come from a law background… Through this, I am saying today that it was false. I am confessing this truth for the first time. Later, we reached a settlement and the payment that was due to us, which usually came after three months, was cleared),” Shilpa added.
“11 saal ke baad bhi maine last Bhabhiji isiliye kiya kyunki Manoj Santoshi ji humaare writer the, unki iccha thi. Unko bhi hurt kiya tha… and yeh sab hone ke baad him main aaj unke saath kaam kar rahi hoon. Aur aaj humaare relationship bahut ache hain (Even after 11 years, I agreed to do Bhabhiji again because Manoj Santoshi ji was our writer and it was his wish. I had hurt him too… and after everything that happened, I am working with him today. Our relationship is very good now,)” Shilpa said.
The controversy erupted in mid-March 2016 after Shilpa quit ‘Bhabhiji Ghar Par Hain’ and was labelled “unprofessional” by the makers.
Producer Binaifer Kohli subsequently sent her a legal notice, asking her to return to the show or compensate the production house for losses caused by her exit. She also approached the Cine and TV Artistes Association (CINTAA) and filed a complaint against the actor.
In response, Shilpa chose to pursue legal action and filed a complaint against Binaifer on March 29.