Amid outrage, Shilpa Shinde on false harassment complaint against producer: 'I never allowed police to arrest him'

Actor Shilpa Shinde has doubled down against the criticism that followed her recent admission that she had filed a false sexual harassment complaint against Bhabhi Ji Ghar Par Hain! producer Sanjay Kohli during a dispute over unpaid dues. Her confession, made on Bharti Singh's podcast, triggered intense reactions online, with the industry calling her actions 'shameful'.

Now, Shilpa has addressed the controversy, insisting that her comments have been misunderstood.

Speaking to IANS, Shilpa said that people who have followed her journey closely were already aware of what she had revealed.

“When Bharti Singh’s podcast was released, many people who truly know me and supported me during my Bigg Boss journey understood what I was trying to say. Even on Bigg Boss, I had mentioned that I had falsely accused my producer of sexual harassment. I never allowed the police to arrest him because I knew I was lying. My intention was not just to recover money. People should not jump to conclusions without knowing the full reality.”

She also alleged that some members of the entertainment industry were using the situation to attract attention.

“Many of my fans have supported me, but some influential people have targeted me. They are using bad PR tactics. Everyone wants publicity,” she said. She added that some of the criticism stemmed from opportunism rather than concern.

“People say a woman is another woman’s biggest enemy. I went through an extremely difficult phase, and perhaps that is why I am still relevant today. Everyone knows what happened to me. I wasn’t allowed to work on The Kapil Sharma Show, I was receiving multiple legal notices, and my health was suffering. People saw an opportunity and used it for their own publicity.”

Shilpa further clarified that the complaint had been withdrawn years ago and never resulted in Sanjay Kohli's arrest.

“I did what I had to do to free myself from that situation. They were not letting me live my life peacefully,” she said.

Looking back at the fallout from her departure from Bhabhi Ji Ghar Par Hain!, Shilpa said she endured years of backlash and legal trouble.

“People called me psycho. Rumours were spread about me. Criminal defamation cases were filed against me. CINTAA also took action against me. Leaving that show was not easy. There were attempts to stop me from participating in Bigg Boss. I finally confessed because I did not want to carry this lie with me forever.”

According to Shilpa, publicly acknowledging the truth was a personal decision aimed at moving on from a chapter she had carried for years.

The actor also claimed that after her remarks became public, Sanjay Kohli and his wife contacted her directly.

“I spoke to them. They told me to let people say whatever they want. They called me to thank me,” she said.

Shilpa added that the conversation reinforced her belief that she had done the right thing by speaking openly.

“I told them that we both know the reality, and I am not afraid of telling the truth. I simply wanted to set an example that nobody should be scared of speaking the truth. Unfortunately, many people hold back because of the kind of situations and backlash that get created.”

TV actor Hina Khan wrote a lengthy post, without addressing her: "I usually never talk about anyone, I never comment or react on someone else’s business, I only and only speak up when it is about something sensitive, something that affects all of us as a society especially as women.. As someone who enjoys public light and has a position to speak up, I must do my bit."

She added that everyone was right to call it out, and that she was 'shocked beyond words'. "I want to talk about the 'real victim' here. A respected man with a wife, daughter and many other women in his family. A hardworking producer with so many shows, went through such an ordeal."

Later, Pooja Bedi told Variety India that a woman who 'weaponises laws' meant to protect victims, be it for revenge, personal gain, or publicity, is betraying the entire cause that the laws were created to serve. She emphasised that false accusations not only destroy lives, but make it more difficult for actual survivors to be heard.

The controversy has also drawn a strong response from filmmaker Ashoke Pandit, President of the Indian Film and Television Directors’ Association and Chief Advisor of FWICE.

Speaking to SCREEN, Pandit criticised Shilpa's admission and warned about the broader consequences of false allegations.

“If what Shilpa Shinde said in the podcast is true, it deserves strong condemnation. Sexual harassment is a very serious allegation, and using it as a weapon to settle personal or professional disputes is deeply wrong.”

He added, “The fact that a producer may have stayed silent to keep a show running and protect the livelihoods of an entire crew does not give a free pass to a false accuser. False allegations can destroy a person’s reputation, career and mental well-being.”

In 2016, Shinde exited the show amid a dispute with its producers. At the time, she accused them of harassment and withholding payments.

Speaking recently on a podcast hosted by Bharti Singh and Haarsh Limbachiyaa, Shinde reflected on the fallout and admitted that the sexual harassment allegation against Kohli was untrue.

She had said, "Poor man, he ended up getting defamed because of it. 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."

"I can’t explain what I was going through at that time. I fought the battle thinking, ‘To hell with all of you.’ Filing such a case after a year was very difficult for me, but I genuinely felt I had no other option. 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,” she added.

In 2025, Shilpa returned to Bhabiji Ghar Par Hain!, saying she came back because of the show's writer and that her relationship with the makers had improved considerably over the years.