After admitting to fake sexual harassment charges, Shilpa Shinde blames ‘paid PR’

Shilpa said that she expected this kind of reaction and blamed the viewers, as she added, “The world does not appreciate anything good, especially people like you who make such comments. I didn’t need to say anything. I came back to the show after 10 years. I could have said it then, but I didn’t. I didn’t do it for the show.” She again admitted that her accusations were a lie, and no one forced her to say what she did. “It was a lie and no one asked me to lie. I couldn’t have lived with that lie. One day, I was going to say it. I didn’t do it for money. I left that show and I had left it all behind,” she said.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Shilpa Shinde (@shilpa_shinde_official)

Shilpa insisted that since the producers were creating a difficult work atmosphere for her, and were not letting her work anywhere else, she believed she had no other option but to fabricate a lie. “Sorry is a small word now but he (Sanjay) also knows that I didn’t have an option back then. I was contemplating suicide at that point,” she said. She ended her video by showing the middle finger to the audience as she said, “I am ready to take all the brickbats. It does not matter to me.”

Her video was accompanied by the caption, “Passing judgment on a single line without watching the entire podcast is a poor approach by paid PR.”

When SCREEN reached out to Sanjay Kohli’s team, they refused to comment on Shilpa’s admission. In an earlier interview with SCREEN, the producer had refused to comment on the case when addressing Shilpa’s return to the show.

Hina Khan is ‘appalled’

After Shilpa’s admission on Bharti Singh and Haarsh Limbachiyaa’s podcast, television actor Hina Khan took to social media to criticise her accusation. While she did not name Shilpa, her long note was presumably directed towards her. Hina Khan and Shilpa Shinde were fierce rivals on Bigg Boss 11, where Shilpa emerged as the winner. Hina started her note by saying that she does not like to talk about others but was choosing to speak up now as this was “something sensitive, something that affects all of us as a society, especially as women.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by BHARTI TV (@bhartitvnetwork)

Calling the fake accusation “shameful”, Hina said she was “shocked beyond words”. She said, “Using your sex to malign someone’s image in order to win during a conflict is absolutely shameful. And everyone is absolutely right to call it out and demand justice. I am shocked beyond words.” She then called the producer the “real victim” in this situation and said that he went through quite an “ordeal” after she made false claims. “As admitted by the female actor, her allegations were not just baseless, they were used to gain advantage to win, to score, to claim, to settle without the utilisation of law,” she wrote.

Since Shilpa returned to the same show, produced by the same producer, Hina said, “And even after that, the same producer gives the same show to the same person. Another launchpad, another mouthpiece, another relevance, another chance to legitimise her fake claim of sexual assault. What if the actor repeats it? After all, the actor has been given the same show by the one she falsely accused.” She ended her note by saying, “I am appalled. The joke is on us.”

‘Misuse of the law is unacceptable’

Pooja Bedi, in a chat with Variety India, also criticised Shilpa and said that she was “betraying the very cause those laws were created to serve.” “False accusations not only destroy innocent lives but also make it harder for genuine survivors to be believed. Such misuse of the law is unacceptable and must carry serious consequences,” she said.

Shilpa Shinde admits she made false accusations

Previously, Shilpa had admitted, “Today, through this platform, I want to say that it was false. I am confessing this for the first time. After that, we reached a settlement and the payments that were due to me at the time, which we used to receive after three months, were cleared.” She added, “What I am saying today is a very big thing. Lying is not easy. A lie is a lie, whether it is small or big. I had told them that if life ever gave me the opportunity, I would confess that it was false. I know people will react after hearing this, but it was false. I am telling the truth today. I am not afraid of anyone.”

Why Shilpa Shinde left Bhabiji Ghar Par Hain

Shilpa Shinde left the popular show Bhabiji Ghar Par Hain in 2016 amid a lot of controversy. She exited amid contract dispute and alleged non-payment of dues. The producers accused her of unprofessional behaviour and served her a legal notice about the same.

Soon after, Shilpa accused producer Sanjay Kohli of sexual harassment. She also claimed that the industry was trying to blacklist her and block her employment elsewhere. The matter eventually ended with the settlement of Shilpa’s dues. After nearly years, Shilpa returned to the show and now has a cordial relationship with the same producers.

DISCLAIMER: While this article covers public social media statements and celebrity conflicts within the entertainment industry, it includes a passing mention of severe emotional distress and personal crisis. The views and claims expressed regarding legal and contractual disputes are based solely on public statements and have not been independently verified; they are intended for informational purposes only and do not constitute legal or professional advice.