- Shilpa Shinde faced alleged harassment after leaving Bhabiji Ghar Par Hain in 2016
- A fake MMS clip falsely linking Shilpa to adult content was circulated widely
- She spent 6-7 hours at cyber cell to trace the source of the fake video clip
Actor Shilpa Shinde, who is currently seen on Lock Upp: Sach Ya Sazaa, opened up about one of the most difficult phases of her life during a conversation with co-contestant Varun Yadav.
What's Happening
The actor recalled the alleged harassment she faced after her exit from Bhabiji Ghar Par Hain and claimed that a fake MMS was circulated using her name.
The conversation comes months after Shilpa drew criticism for revealing that the sexual harassment allegation she had made against Bhabiji Ghar Par Hain producer Sanjay Kohli was false.
On the latest episode of the reality show, she spoke about the events that followed her departure from the sitcom.
Recalling the controversy, Shilpa said, "During my journey back in 2015-16, the show was going on, I was ousted from it, and all that drama happened. After that, so many people were relentlessly targeting me, I had absolutely no way out, no options left. Next thing I know is, a reporter sent me a video clip, I asked: 'What is this?' She said, 'It's your video.' I was like, 'My video?', she replied, 'Open it and see.'"
She further added, "While the video was downloading, I kept thinking if it was from my changing room or something like that. My blood ran cold for a moment. I was sitting in my car when I finally played the video. It was a blurry video of a girl lying on top of a guy. I asked, 'What on earth is this? She said, 'It's your video.' I just told her, 'Are you mad? Look at the bedsheet, it's so dirty.' She further questioned, 'Is it not you then?' I said, 'Hell no, are you crazy?' I know when my last relationship was and with whom. This is impossible."
Shilpa also claimed that she approached the cyber cell after the clip surfaced.
"She then asked if she should release it, and I replied, asking what she meant. Imagine they stooped to this level. I sat at the cyber cell unit for 6-7 hours. I finally tracked it down, and it was just a Hindi adult site clip; they took freeze frames of the girl in the video from specific angles where she looked like me, blurred it, and blasted it everywhere, saying Bhabhiji's MMS is out," Shilpa shared.
On Facing Harassment
Speaking about the impact the incident had on her personal life, the actor said, "Does anyone say that it was my video? Everyone only denies it. My mother asked me, and society's watchman asked her if her daughter's MMS had leaked. How do you even respond to that? I have endured so much. Even when I was going on Bigg Boss, they filed a criminal case against me, I took bail and went on the show. Imagine the insane degree of harassment I went through."
The Controversy Surrounding Bhabiji Ghar Par Hain
Shilpa Shinde exited Bhabiji Ghar Par Hain in 2016 after a dispute with the show's makers over an exclusive contract and pending payments.
Following her exit, she accused producer Sanjay Kohli of sexual harassment and also became involved in contractual and payment-related disputes with the production house. The matter was later settled out of court.
Earlier this year, however, Shilpa said on Bharti Singh's podcast that the sexual harassment allegation she had made against Kohli was false, a statement that sparked widespread backlash. She later revealed that producers Benaifer Kohli and Sanjay Kohli had called and thanked her for speaking the truth.
After entering Lock Upp: Sach Ya Sazaa, Shilpa also claimed that the makers had approached her multiple times and requested her to join the reality show.