"I had no other option."
Actor Shilpa Shinde has made a stunning and deeply significant public confession nearly a decade after leaving Bhabiji Ghar Par Hain!
She has admitted for the first time that the sexual harassment allegations she had filed against producer Sanjay Kohli were entirely false.
The confession came during an appearance on comedian Bharti Singh and writer Haarsh Limbachiyaa’s podcast, where she spoke with remarkable candour.
Shilpa explained that she filed the complaint because she felt she had absolutely no other option available to her at that point in time.
She said the matter was later settled and that her pending payments, which had been withheld for three months, were cleared following the resolution.
“Nobody knows this, and I’m not afraid of telling the truth. Even today, I will say this because it is a big thing.
“I filed a sexual harassment case against my producer because I had no other option.
“Eventually, I got out of that situation because the matter was settled.”
She went further, elaborating on the circumstances that led her to file an allegation she now openly acknowledges was not truthful at the time.
She explained that no other producer in the industry had stood by Sanjay Kohli during the dispute, which formed the basis of her complaint.
She also revealed that the police had specifically told her that serious allegations would need to be included for an FIR to be formally registered.
Drawing on her background in law, she understood the process and proceeded accordingly, a decision she is now publicly revisiting with full accountability.
Shilpa also reflected on how her relationship with the people associated with Bhabiji Ghar Par Hain! has evolved and improved significantly over the years.
She revealed that she eventually returned to the franchise because it was the heartfelt wish of writer Manoj Santoshi, whom she felt had also been hurt by the fallout.
Despite everything that happened during that tumultuous period, she confirmed that she is now working with the team again on entirely cordial terms.
Shilpa Shinde’s exit from the popular sitcom in 2016 had triggered one of the most talked-about controversies in Indian television history at the time.
She left the show amid a bitter dispute over her contract and allegations of non-payment.
The show’s producers responded by accusing her of being unprofessional and serving her with a formal legal notice in the midst of the public fallout.
Shilpa Shinde countered with complaints against producer Binaifer Kohli and the allegations against Sanjay Kohli that she has now publicly retracted on the podcast.
The actor also alleged at the time that she was being deliberately sidelined within the wider television industry and pressured into restrictive contractual arrangements.
Loading ...