Mumbai:
Actress Shilpa Shinde has quit popular comedy show “Bhabhi Ji Ghar Par Hai”, alleging that the makers “mentally tortured” her, which has prompted the production house to send a legal notice accusing her of breach of contact. The 28-year-old actress, who played Angoori Bhabhi on the show, said the problem started when the makers asked her to sign a contract that would bar her from doing other shows.
“You cannot make anyone sign an exclusivity contract like that. Why are you trying to spoil our career? I am giving you my 25 days or so, what is the problem if I do other shows in between,” Shilpa told PTI.
“I never signed that contract. In fact, I came on board after Rashmi Desai left the part abruptly. I helped them when they needed. Today, they are spreading rumours that I threw tantrums on the set. That is sheer mental torture.”
There were reports that Shilpa had demanded a pay hike and wanted her own designers on the show.
The actress said there was favouritism as the lead of the show, Saumya Tandon, was given preference over her.
“She gets her own costume designer, a personal hair dresser, but I had to ask for these things. Even if I am demanding a certain pay, it is because of my position.”
“When I was sick, they asked me to come to work. You cannot treat me badly. I am very sad. I don’t think I will go back to do the show again,” she said.
Her allegations seem to have not gone down well with the production house, Edit II, which has said it will take necessary action against the actress for her abrupt exit.
“We have heard from media reports that she is planning to take up another show to be broadcast on a competing channel in blatant breach of her contractual obligations. If she has stopped shooting with us citing health issue like migraine, then it’s surprising that she is medically fit to consider taking up another show.
“Since she is the one to repeatedly breach the contract, we have sent across a legal notice to her and we will take necessary actions against her as instructed by our team of lawyers,” the production house said in a statement.
The makers said they increased her fees “twice” till date, and claimed this was not the first time they were putting up with her “unprofessional attitude”. Shilpa, however, said, if the makers had problems with her in the past, they should have asked her to leave the show then.
“If they are claiming that I was unprofessional before too, they should have sacked me. Why say that when I have spoken up? I heard they have issued me a notice and want me to join the show within 48 hours. This is like a threat. I will see how to take this matter ahead,” she said.
The actress is now set to join “The Kapil Sharma Show”, which will go on air soon. “I am working with Kapil Sharma. The show is more than a film for me. My fans will be very happy to see me on the show as my character will be comic, yet different from what I have done before,” Shilpa said.
There were reports that the actress will play the role of Kapil’s ‘bhabhi’ (sister-in-law) on the show, but Shilpa said the makers are keeping the character a “surprise”.
“I have not signed anything on paper yet, it is mutually decided as of now. The character is a surprise. I decided to do the show because they asked me very respectfully, they are all good actors. In fact, Kapil left a big channel to start his own show and his team did so too. That shows unity,” she said.
