Hyderabad: In recent weeks, after the Justice Hema Committee report became public, TV actor Shilpa Shinde shared a troubling experience from the early days of her career. In an interview with a webloid, she revealed that she was once asked to seduce a filmmaker under the pretext of an audition. Shilpa, who was 'very innocent' at that time, agreed to do the scene, only to be met with an unsettling situation.
Shilpa Shinde, known for her role in Bhabi Ji Ghar Par Hai! and as the winner of Bigg Boss 11, reflected on how such unsettling experiences are not uncommon in the industry. She recounted the incident from the late 1990s when she was just starting out. The filmmaker had asked her to perform a scene where she was to seduce him.
She described the ordeal, saying, "It was during my struggling days, around 1998-99. I cannot take names, but they told me, ‘Aap yeh kapde pehno aur yeh scene karo (wear these clothes and do this scene)'. I didn’t wear those clothes. In the scene, he told me he was my boss, and I had to seduce him. I was very innocent then, so I did the scene. That person tried to force himself on me, and I got so scared. I pushed him away and ran out. The security staff realised what had happened and asked me to leave immediately. They thought I would make a scene and call for help."
Shilpa also shared a later encounter with the same producer, though she declined to reveal his name. "He was from the Hindi film industry. I agreed to do the scene because he was also an actor. I’m not lying, but I cannot take his name. His children are probably a little younger than me, and if I name him, they will suffer too... after a few years, I met him again, and he spoke to me kindly. He didn’t recognise me and even offered me a film role. I refused. He still doesn’t remember me."
The actor noted that similar experiences have been shared by many others in the industry. She observed that while some have fled from such situations, others have faced similar harassment from well-known figures. Shilpa also opined that while discussing sexual harassment, it is crucial to recognise that while one may be approached, there is always a 'choice to say no'.
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